CUORICINO status and CUORE prospects

CUORE is a proposed experiment, already partially funded, to search for 0 ν -DBD of 130 Te using 988 TeO 2 bolometers. It aims at reaching a sensitivity on the effective neutrino mass of the order of few tens of meV. The crucial parameter on which this expectation is based is background. Different strategies are under development to reduce as much as possible its value, among which the comprehension of CUORICINO background, a single CUORE tower running since 2003, plays an important role. Present results already achieved and studies that are underway are here presented and discussed.