Algebraic Geometry between Tradition and Future

An incredible season for algebraic geometry flourished inItaly between 1860, when Luigi Cremona was assigned the chairof Geometria Superiore in Bologna, and 1959, when FrancescoSeveri published the last volume of the treatise on algebraicsystems over a surface and an algebraic variety. Thiscentury-long season has had a prominent influence on theevolution of complex algebraic geometry - both at the national and international levels - and still inspires modern researchin the area. "Algebraic geometry in Italy between traditionand future" is a collection of contributions aiming atpresenting some of these powerful ideas and their connectionto contemporary and, if possible, future developments, such as Cremonian transformations, birational classification ofhigh-dimensional varieties starting from Gino Fano, the life andworks of Guido Castelnuovo, Francesco Severi's mathematicallibrary, etc. The presentation is enriched by the viewpointof various researchers of the history of mathematics, who describe the cultural milieu and tell about the bios of some ofthe most famous mathematicians of those times.