A Dubai-based influencer has been fined €1,800 for trespassing on a restricted pink beach on the island of Budelli, Sardinia.
The influencer, @Rogeriaguiadubai on Instagram, shared videos and photos of her trip on social media. The woman reached Spiaggia Rosa, known for its pink sand on the small Sardinian island of Budelli, by dinghy. She would have had to pass and ignore many prohibition signs, according to reports.
Tourists have been barred from walking on the beach and swimming in its waters since the 1990s due to sand theft. However, day trips are allowed by boat, and visitors can walk along a path behind the beach.
The influencer, a Brazilian living in Dubai, posted the footage to her Instagram account which has over 35,000 followers. In one clip, she zooms in on her footprints in the sand with Édith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” playing in the background.
The incident, which reportedly occurred a few days ago, caused outrage among Sardinians, leading coastguard officers to investigate. They traced the woman to Dubai and issued her a fine: €300 for violating the ban and €1,500 for using a vessel without authorisation to access Budelli. The dinghy was rented, and the rental company’s owner was unaware of her intended destination.
Budelli’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’
Budelli is an uninhabited island, though it had a lone resident, Mauro Morandi, for over 30 years. Morandi, who landed on the island in 1989 after his catamaran broke down, was likened to Robinson Crusoe. He became the island’s unofficial caretaker. The island returned to the public domain in 2016. The 84-year-old was evicted by the authority managing La Maddalena National Park in 2021.
To explain why he could not be allowed to live on the island indefinitely, the park’s president said in 2016, “[He] symbolises a man enchanted by the elements who decides to devote his life to contemplation and custody … No one ignores his role in representing the historical memory of the place … But it’s hard to find a contractual arrangement for a person in his position.”
