A book dedicated to the 'liquid continent' which -to quote the historian Fernand Braudel- connects diversities of territories, waters and peoples, languages, traditions, environments, cultures and faiths: a unique concentration in the world. The 'mare nostrum' is then the connection - through the present - between the future and a past attested by an inestimable multi-millennial heritage.

The many differences also correspond to problems that have marked the history of the peoples bordering this sea and which, with the passing of the centuries, have become even more complex: climate change, environmental degradation, land use, urbanisation, water crisis, resource scarcity, loss of biodiversity, socio-political contrasts, demographic pressures, migratory movements, and socio-economic gaps. The CNR, with its multidisciplinary heritage of scientific, technical and cultural knowledge and skills - thanks to thousands of researchers - operates with great multidisciplinary commitment in this area, overlooked by 22 countries on three continents, investigating phenomena and processes and proposing solutions. In synergy with other national and international actors, it represents a reference with its scientific research projects and its science diplomacy activities. These themes are collected in the volume, which is also rich in images and was produced thanks to the contribution of many institutes and colleagues. President Massimo Inguscio wished to dedicate it "to the many who feel the joy of sailing in the sea of knowledge and to curious young people who would like to venture out in search of new routes".

Reading this volume will make one realise in depth the need to intervene and create a dialogue and diplomacy increasingly focused on cooperation between different cultures.