In 1995, at the International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy organized in the island of Capri (Italy), Eric Cornell announced the first realization of Bose-Einstein condensation in ultracold atomic gases. This breakthrough, then acknowleged by the Nobel Prize in Physics 2001, triggered a revolution in the field of atomic physics, leading to important advances in fundamental science and opening to many technological applications.

40 years later, we will celebrate this discovery in the same location where Bose-Einstein condensation was announced, with Eric Cornell and many other speakers who will discuss the evolution of the field and the developments of atomic physics in Italy, from the era of the first BECs to the most recent successes and challenges.