Maurizio Montalbini
Encyclopedia
Maurizio Montalbini was an Italian sociologist and caver who had lived in complete isolation in an underground chamber multiple times since 1986.
On December 14, 1986, Montalbini entered the Frasassi Caves
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. 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
. 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.
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. More precisely, he entered on December 6, 1992 and got out on December 5, 1993, thinking it was June 6, 1993. At that time, His immune defence system fell from a level of 23 to 0, and then after 10 days was recovered to a level of 2.5 .
In October 2006 Montalbini entered a cave called "Underlab" with the intention of spending three years there. He planned for it to be his final experiment, but hoped it would provide valuable insight into the natural cycles of the body. This stay ended up lasting just over 260 days.
Montalbini would eat pills for meals while in the cave, but also brought along honey, nuts and chocolate on his most recent trip.
In September 2009, Montalbini died from a heart attack while living in Macerata
, Italy. His death was in no way connected to his experimental cave dwellings.
On December 14, 1986, Montalbini entered the Frasassi Caves
Frasassi Caves
The Frasassi Caves are a remarkable karst cave system in the municipality of Genga, Italy, in the province of Ancona, Marche...
of the Apennine Mountains
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
, near Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
. 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. An Ancona local named Stefania Follini heard of his exploits and decided to attempt it herself; NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
sponsored her stay in a cave in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. 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.
Throughout 1993 Montalbini stayed in a cave in Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
. He again lost his sense of time, thinking it was only June when he was called to the surface in December. More precisely, he entered on December 6, 1992 and got out on December 5, 1993, thinking it was June 6, 1993. At that time, His immune defence system fell from a level of 23 to 0, and then after 10 days was recovered to a level of 2.5 .
In October 2006 Montalbini entered a cave called "Underlab" with the intention of spending three years there. He planned for it to be his final experiment, but hoped it would provide valuable insight into the natural cycles of the body. This stay ended up lasting just over 260 days.
Montalbini would eat pills for meals while in the cave, but also brought along honey, nuts and chocolate on his most recent trip.
In September 2009, Montalbini died from a heart attack while living in Macerata
Macerata
Macerata is a city and comune in central Italy, the capital of the province of Macerata in the Marche region.The historical city center is located on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. It consisted of the Picenes city named Ricina, then, after the romanization, Recina and Helvia Recina...
, Italy. His death was in no way connected to his experimental cave dwellings.
External links
- Maurizio Montalbini - Daily Telegraph obituary