A man known as Italy’s Robinson Crusoe who has lived alone on a Mediterranean island for more than 30 years after running into difficulties in the sea has said he is finally surrendering to pressure from authorities to leave and will be moving to a small apartment.

Mauro Morandi, 81, stumbled across Budelli, an island off Sardinia known for its pink-sanded beach, in 1989 after his catamaran broke down on the way to the south Pacific. In a fortuitous twist of fate, Morandi discovered that the island’s caretaker was about to retire, and so he abandoned the sailing trip, sold his boat and took over the role.