Maurizio Montalbini

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Maurizio Montalbini is an Italian sociologist and caver who has lived in complete isolation in an underground chamber multiple times since 1986.

On December 14, 1986, Montalbini entered the Frasassi grotto of the Apennine Mountains, near Ancona. A video feed was set up to monitor him from the surface. He emerged on July 12, 1987, breaking the world record for complete isolation.[1] An Ancona local named Stefania Follini heard of his exploits and decided to attempt it herself; NASA sponsored her stay in a cave in New Mexico.[2] Her menstrual cycle stopped, and she began a sleep cycle of waking for 23 hours at a time and sleeping for 10 hours. Both Follini and Montalbini found that time passed quickly underground.[3]

Throughout 1993 Montalbini stayed in a cave in Pesaro. He again lost his sense of time, thinking it was only June when he was called to the surface in December.[4]

In October 2006 Montalbini entered a cave called "Underlab" with the intention of spending three years there. He intends it to be his final experiment, but hopes it will provide valuable insight into the natural cycles of the body.[5]

Montalbini will eat pills for meals while in the cave, but also brought along honey, nuts and chocolate on his most recent trip.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Record-Setting Hermit Can't Believe It". San Francisco Chronicle, 13 July 1987. p.20.
  2. ^ Lewis Holden. "Woman set for 5-month stay in cave." St. Petersburg Times, 1 January 1989, p. 18A.
  3. ^ "Cavewoman' ending isolation". Chicago Sun-Times, 23 May 1989, p. 5.
  4. ^ John Phillips. "Sociologist emerges from grotto." The Times, 10 Dec. 1993
  5. ^ a b "Three years in grotto: Italian sociologist to discover body rhythms." Turkish Daily News, 14 Oct. 2006, p. 1.
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