Luca Turi, iconic photojournalist of the Vlora ship arrival, dies at 82

Italian photojournalist Luca Turi has passed away at the age of 82. A prominent figure in Puglian journalism, Turi spent five decades documenting the history of Bari and the surrounding region.

He is most widely recognized for his iconic photographs of the ship Vlora, which arrived in the port of Bari on August 8, 1991, carrying approximately 20,000 Albanian citizens during a major period of migration. His work also captured the Balkan wars, the Albanian pyramid scheme crisis, and the 2019 earthquake in Albania.

Turi worked with the news agency ANSA and contributed extensively to Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno. In 2020, he was granted Albanian citizenship by President Ilir Meta due to his deep connection to the country. Bari Mayor Vito Leccese described him as an ‘authentic witness’ to the recent history of the city and the region.