The award ceremony as EPS Historic Site of the Institute of Complementary Physics of Milan University took place in the hall of the Department of Physics “Aldo Pontremoli” on 16^th September 2022. The award plate was unveiled by the EPS President Luc Bergé and the Director of the Department of Physics “Aldo Pontremoli” Giovanni Onida after their institutional greetings, at the presence of Luisa Cifarelli, of the EPS Historic Site Committee. A further greeting was given by the President of the Italian Physical Society Angela Bracco, and a short historical talk by Leonardo Gariboldi.

The ceremony was attended by physicists and students, who were attending the 108^th National Congress of the Italian Physical Society hosted by the Department of Physics “Aldo Pontremoli”.

The Institute of Complementary Physics was the first physics institute established at the foundation of Milan University in 1924. The Institute was established by Aldo Pontremoli, its first director, and was immediately characterised by the extreme modernity of its research topics. The teaching of complementary physics (i.e. contemporary experimental physics), as highlighted by Pontremoli’s lecture registers, introduced the students to the most recent achievements in quantum physics, in addition to the theoretical and experimental aspects of advanced classical and relativistic physics.

The research laboratories were equipped by Pontremoli for spectroscopic and radiological studies. His laboratories were among the most important in Italy in particular for the close links with hospitals and industries with analysis and radiological controls of materials. The laboratories were also involved in the preparation of the scientific expedition to the Arctic onboard the “Italia” airship in 1928.

After Pontremoli’s tragic death during the polar expedition, the Institute of Complementary Physics continued its activities until Giovanni Polvani was called by Milan University for the teaching of Experimental Physics, a fact that marked the transformation of the Institute of Complementary Physics into the new Institute of Physics (the nowadays Department of Physics “Aldo Pontremoli”).

From left to right: Leonardo Gariboldi, Giovanni Onida, Angela Bracco, Luc Bergé, Luisa Cifarelli - image credit: L. Gariboldi

Group photo - image credit: L. Gariboldi