Each day for the past 29 years, Mauro Morandi has woken up to a golden sunrise illuminating the Mediterranean Sea.
It's a view that doesn't grow old -- and one Morandi doesn't share with a single soul.
The engimatic 79-year-old lives alone on the beautiful Isle of Budelli in the Maddalena archipelago of Italy. He's called this slice of paradise his own since 1989, when he departed mainland Italy in an attempt to quit modern society and start anew.
After years of living in solitude, in recent years Morandi has opened up his corner of the world, taking striking photographs of Budelli's landscapes and wildlife and showcasing them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Now, Morandi is as much of a draw for summer visitors as Budelli's famous rose-colored sandy beach, La Spiaggia Rosa, but his quiet life remains almost unchanged since he first docked on the shores of this destination.
Morandi says his unconventional life is the result of a lifelong nonconformist streak.
"I was always a rebellious child," he tells CNN Travel. "I think I ran away from home, the first time, aged nine."
At school he was impatient with teachers, at home he was frustrated with his parents. As an adult, he felt disenfranchised from society.
This is a copy of the CNN post
