Introduction or "low-temperature detectors: yesterday, today and tomorrow"

I would like first to express my deep gratitude to Flavio Gatti and to the Organizing committee for inviting me to introduce the tenths of these Workshops, which have become more and more stimulating with years. I cannot avoid to emphasize how much I miss, and I am sure we all miss, Sandro Vitale, who started this activity in Genoa. He was for me not only a dear friend, but also, despite our similar ages, an inspiring teacher. I cannot obviously review what will be reported in this week here, which looks already very exciting just at a glance to the program. I will limit myself to some personal recollection and to some arguments which I personally see of great interest for the application of low-temperature detectors in nuclear, subnuclear and astroparticle physics. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.