Gianni Berengo Gardin, one of the best Italian photographers of the twentieth century, died yesterday in Genoa at the age of 94. His camera covered more than sixty years of history, capturing a country in transformation with a profoundly human, sober, and authentic perspective. Born in Santa Margherita Ligure in 1930, he began photographing as a self-taught amateur after World War II. After visiting Rome, Paris, and Venice, he decided to pursue a career in photography in the 1960s, adopting a style that rejected aestheticization in favor of capturing the realities of everyday life. Black and white became his language, both rigorous and poetic.His cooperation with Olivetti marked a watershed moment: there, he refined a vision rooted on compositional discipline and social awareness, depicting not only industrial plants but also the collective character of a changing Italy. Unforgettable are his reportages for Il Mondo, photographs of psychiatric facilities collected in Morire di classe with Franco Basaglia, his visual denunciations of cruise ships in Venice, and of factory life in Italsider and Porto Marghera. Berengo Gardin never intended to exaggerate pictures. Each picture was the result of meticulous, respectful, and frequently political observation. He provided a voice to those who lacked one, delicately capturing the gestures of everyday life, labor, migration, and urban peripheries. His archive contains over a million negatives, representing a true visual chronicle of Italian culture. He has been honored with prestigious honors, including the Leica Hall of Fame Award, and is recognized on a global scale, from the MoMA in New York to the Triennale in Milan. More than the accolades, the civic and human significance of his work endures: a priceless legacy that speaks to our present.