This book describes one by one all the 264 mineral species first discovered in Italy, from 1546 up to the end of 2008. Moreover, 28 minerals discovered elsewhere and named after Italian individuals and institutions are included in a parallel section. Both chapters are alphabetically arranged. The two catalogues are proceded by a short presentation which includes some bits of information about how the volume is organized and subdivided, besides providing some other more general news. For each mineral al basic data (chemical formula, space group symmetry, type locality, general appearance of the species, main geologic occurrences, curiosities references, etc.) are included in a full page, together with one or more high quality colour photographs from both private and museum collections, and with small snapshots either of people or of places, after which each mineral took its name. As appendices, lists of Italian mineral sorted by crystal chemical classifications, by region, by mineralogical district, and by year of discovery, a list of authors who first described each mineral, besides general references are given, too.
Biografia degli autori
Marco E. Ciriotti
Marco E. Cirotti was born in Calosso (Asti) in 1945. He is an amateur mineralogist-crystallographer, a "grouper", and a systematic collector. He graduated in Natural Sciences but pursued his career in the industrial business untill 2000 whem, being General Manager, he retired.
Then time had come to finally devote himself to his main interest and passion:mineral collecting and related studies. He was the promoter and is now the President of the AMI (Italian Micromineralogical Association), Associate Editor of Micro (the AMI magazine), and fellow of many organizations and mineralogical associations. He is the author of papers on topological, structural amd general mineralogy, and of a mineral classification. He was awarded the "Micromounters' Hall of Fame" 2008 prize. Etymology, geoanthropology, music, and modern ballet are his other keen interests.
Lorenza Fascio
Lorenza Fascio was born in La Spezia. She graduated in Geological Sciences at the University of Pisa, with a thesis on the crystal chemistry of tobermorites. Afterwards, she carried out a detailed study on natural and synthetic calcium silicates hydrated through chemical and X-ray analyses. At the same time, she started the collaboration with the SIMP secretariat, where she is currently employed with administrative duties and as webmaster of the SIMP website.
Besides, her greatest passion is 4x4 off-road; in the last ten years she has repeatedly crossed the African deserts and various US trails, and took part in Italian and European championships gathering a considerable amount of trophies, to her great satisfaction.
Marco Pasero
Marco Passero was born in Pisa in 1958. After graduating in Geological Sciences in 1982, he got his Ph.D. in Mineralogy in 1988. Currently, he is associate professor of Mineralogy at the University of Pisa. He authored more than 75 papers on mineralogy and crystallography and a book on "Minerals and stamps", and described 19 new mineral species. Since 1998 he served as the Italian representative within the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names, then Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association. He is now vice-chairman of the CNMNC.
Besides mineralogy, he is deeply fond of jazz music, both as a listener and a musician. He's got a collection of more than 6,000 jazz LPs and CDs of which he is very proud, and plays acoustic bass in an amateur jazz combo. In 2008, to celebrate his 50th birthday, he run a marathon for the first time in his life.
