How I Put a Face to the Virus That Stole My Life (With a Little Help from Dad)

So there I was, four years ago, with my life turned upside down by this tiny viral adversary. I lost everything—family, business, identity—and I felt like every door had slammed shut. But as the Italian saying goes, “Dio serra un uscio e apre una finestra” (God closes a door and opens a window). That window, for me, was an ambitious quest: to capture an image of SARS-CoV-2, this microscopic intruder.

Enter my 99-year-old father, a scientist with a lifetime of wisdom. Together, we tackled the challenge with an "ostinato rigore"—unyielding rigor—born from equal parts desperation and sheer fascination with the intricate, almost unfathomable complexity of nature. We worked tirelessly, piecing together equipment, applying principles of optics, and facing every scientific hurdle that came our way. And then, one day, we did it. We captured the very first optical image of the virus. Something so precise that we could even make out the spike proteins—14 nanometers of meticulously evolved machinery.

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We called it a “nanogram,” not just because it was tiny, but because it felt like a message, a signal from the universe that perseverance and curiosity can unlock what seems unattainable. It wasn’t just about science; it was a moment of deep connection, an homage to the beauty of the natural world and the ingenuity we can bring to understand it. Forget prizes—seeing this with my own eyes, alongside my father, was beyond any award. In that moment, the virus lost its mystique, its power over me. I could breathe again, with the thrill of discovery lighting the way ahead. You can learn more about the journey past and present here: The Dawn of Optical Super Resolution

And now, with renewed hope and the sense that a new window has opened, here's to many more adventures in 2024 and beyond.