The Italian Society of Optics and Photonics (SIOF) expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of Prof. Riccardo Pratesi, Full Professor of Structure of Matter and later Professor Emeritus at the University of Florence, a pioneer of laser research in Italy and one of the international protagonists in the development of their applications in the medical field. Over the course of his extraordinary scientific career, he directed the CNR Institute of Quantum Electronics for 21 years, and subsequently served as President of the CNR Research Area of Florence from 1987 to 2000. Within academia and the CNR, he was a point of reference for generations of researchers, making a decisive contribution to the growth of optics and photonics in Italy.
Those who had the privilege of knowing him will remember him not only as a great scientist, but above all as an extraordinarily approachable, modest person, open to dialogue, always ready to listen to and encourage younger colleagues with contagious enthusiasm. His kindness, sensitivity, and integrity, combined with a brilliant intellect, refined elegance, and a subtle irony that could ease any difficulty, made him a figure deeply loved and respected by the scientific community.
To his family, his friends, his colleagues, and all those who shared with him a stretch of professional and personal journey, SIOF extends its heartfelt condolences, joining in the grateful memory of a person who left an indelible mark on science and in the hearts of those who knew him.