From Hadronic Bubbles to Quantum Gravity: Chasing the Infinite with Antonio Aurilia

The present work discusses the development of the physics of extended objects, along the path of Antonio Aurilia and his collaborators. In parallel to a description of the main events of Aurilia’s life, the central part of the work gives an overview of the applications of the theory of strings and branes in a variety of contexts, that span hadronic physics, solid state physics, black holes, cosmology and physics at the Planck scale. The final section addresses the issue of the role of theoretical physics in modern society, along with Aurilia’s views on this topic which he expressed on various occasions.