by InTrieste
Ugo Borsatti, the celebrated photographer whose lens chronicled decades of Trieste’s history, died at 98. His vast archive of more than 350,000 negatives, housed in his Foto Omnia collection, serves as an unparalleled visual record of the city’s political and cultural transformations.
Borsatti’s work bore witness to some of Trieste’s most defining moments, including the 1953 riots and the long-anticipated return of the city to Italy in 1954. His photographs captured not only the turmoil of history but also the everyday life of Triestini, preserving a collective memory for generations to come. Among his most famous images is Bacio (The Kiss), an iconic snapshot that embodies the human stories interwoven with the city’s past.
Born in Trieste in 1926, Borsatti developed a passion for photography in his youth, eventually founding Foto Omnia, a studio that would become synonymous with documentary photography in the region. Over the decades, his work extended beyond photojournalism, touching on street photography and portraiture, always with a deep sensitivity to the people and places he captured.
Recognized as the dean of Trieste’s photographers, Borsatti received numerous accolades throughout his career, and his images have been exhibited widely, offering a window into the heart of a city shaped by shifting borders and identities.
His death marks the loss of a master visual storyteller whose photographs remain an invaluable testament to the resilience and character of Trieste.
