I am indebted to many of the great alkali-rocks scientists who transmitted to me their knowledge of this exotic rocks enlarging my perception of alkaline and carbonatite magmatism. Most of our discussion took place in the field and in most cases produced long-term research collaboration. All them visited Italian ultralkaline outcrops at least twice, in some cases several times. Even if I didn't write a paper with all of them we shared fine Italian landscapes, wine and food, which encouraged very much an exchange of ideas. There are many, many others....I thank them here very much. Please have a look at EUROCARB
Aldo Cundari and me on a wollastonite-melilitolite plug in Umbria (this is a 20-year old photo). Aldo the Leucitite man! but my pasta&fagioli comes first!

Claudia Principe and I, sitting on Pietra della Scimmia (Leucite melilitolite). Claudia is a heavy-duty, enjoyable volcanologist. We collaborated for about 15 years on Vulture volcano projects and we are very good friends. 

 
Katya and Alan Woolley hunting for mantle nodules around the Monticchio maar (Vulture, Lucania). Alan is the nicest carbonatitologist in the world.

   
Ken Balley looking at a lherzolite nodule he found at Monticchio. Balley's work is considered a 'milestone' in  mantle- metasomatism and carbonatites and, of course, I agree. But.... why did he put the nodule on a milestone?.
Roger Mitchell (the Kimberlite man!), me and Sean Wheeler, a student of mine, looking at a kamafugite (olivine, leucite kalsilite melilitite) lava flow in San Venanzo (Umbria)
Prof. Keith Bell and me.  In the background ,olivine melilitite bomb impacts on carbonatite tephra. We had a lot of field trips in Italy enjoying traditions and rocks.
 On the left, my greatest friend prof. Liu Yu of the Wuhan Institute of Chemical Technology (China). We worked on apatite since 1991 and opened a door between East and West civilisations! Standing in the middle, prof Franco Cuccurullo, president of my University (picture 2005)
Mercedes Muñoz muy simpatica Catedrática Pertrología de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid! Le gustan las carbonatitas como a mi. Tambien la paella.
I have known prof. Lia Panina from Novosibirsk for a long time. We worked happily on melilitites with Victor Sharygin, a very brilliant previous student of hers.
Well, what I should say! this is a Christmas party at the Natural History Museum (those crazy English!). The cow-girl dancing with me is Dr Frances Wall, the most helpful and efficient researcher I know. We wrote several papers together and we share a love...... extrusive carbonatites and country dances.