Pavia's Collegio Ghislieri dedicates garden to photojournalist Andy Rocchelli

On May 24, 2026, the twelfth anniversary of his death, the Collegio Ghislieri in Pavia inaugurates the Giardino della Ricerca (Garden of Research) in memory of photojournalist Andrea "Andy" Rocchelli. Rocchelli was killed in 2014 near Sloviansk, Donbass, while documenting civilian suffering during the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists. Also killed was human rights activist and interpreter Andrej Mironov; French photographer William Roguelon was seriously injured. Italian courts ruled in three degrees of judgment that Rocchelli and Mironov were killed by shots from Ukrainian army positions in an unprovoked attack, but no one has been convicted. The garden, designed as a living space rather than a static monument, features a commemorative plaque and will host a public inauguration with speakers including Gherardo Colombo and Michele Serra, the Rocchelli family, and a podcast by Agostino Zappia and Enrico Rotondi. Rocchelli was a co-founder of the Cesura photography collective, trained with Alex Majoli, and focused on Eastern Europe and Russia. His work, often in black and white, captured the human impact of war on civilians, notably children sheltering in a basement in Sloviansk. The garden's name reflects both journalistic investigation and botanical care, emphasizing ongoing memory and responsibility.