Tommaso Ugolini dies after drowning in Salento

Tommaso Ugolini, a 19-year-old student from Bologna, died by drowning in the sea near Rivabella, close to Gallipoli in the Salento region. The incident occurred while he was swimming with a friend; reports suggest he may have suffered a sudden medical emergency before disappearing beneath the waves.

Despite efforts by lifeguards and a 45-minute resuscitation attempt, the young man could not be saved. Ugolini was a recent high school graduate who had enrolled for medical studies and was a captain for the Polisportiva Antal Pallavicini youth football team.

The tragedy has drawn widespread condolences from institutional figures in both Puglia and Emilia-Romagna. The deceased was the son of surgeon Giampaolo Ugolini and the nephew of Elena Ugolini, a regional councilor in Emilia-Romagna. Officials, including the President of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Michele de Pascale, and the Mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore, expressed their grief over the loss of a young life.