The 50th annual congress of the Italian Society of Microbiology (SIM) was held in mid-September. The beautiful city of Naples was the setting for this event, which was attended by members of our laboratory who presented the results obtained in distinct virological projects over the past year. In particular, Maria’s work on the study of the possible role of Human Endogenous Retroviruses in the pathogenesis of colon cancer, was selected for oral communication. Maria’s brilliant presentation was well received by the audience, opening a discussion about the significance of her results and possible future perspectives.