Preface: A beautiful walk in the way of the understanding

The International Conference "Variational Analysis and Applications" devoted to the memory of Ennio De Giorgi and Guido Stampacchia was held at the International School of Mathematics in Erice from May 9 to May 17 of 2009. About thirty lecturers from every part of the world took part in the conference and the workshop was enriched by the award of the "Third Gold Medal G. Stampacchia" to the young researcher Camillo de Lellis. Some of the lecturers, together with their well-known students, presented a paper for this special issue in honour of Ennio De Giorgi and Guido Stampacchia. For more information please click the "Full Text" above.