A few days ago, Antonella Ausili left us after a long and courageous battle against an illness that, still in 2024, seems indestructible. Research manager and highly esteemed researcher in the field of integrated assessment and protection of coastal marine environments at a national and international level, she was, for many of us, a determined and prepared colleague, a friend always ready to listen and advise, a solid point of reference and welcoming, with a strong sense of humanity, a sense of irony and the ability to play down even difficult situations; an approach that helped her a lot even during her illness, aware of her state but confident and serene, with that lightness that didn’t make her look away from what was really important.

We like to keep the memory of the moments of Antonella: her voice in the early morning when she greeted everyone as she arrived, the sampling surveys spent together, the meetings and projects she actively joined, the always very lively discussions, her smile when she realized she had done something wrong, her teasing, her being “dazed” as she often called herself.