The neutron scattering activity in condensed matter in Italy started in the late 1950s in a close collaboration with the most important' laboratories in the United States (one can not forget the work of Fermi's group in Rome in 1930, but this activity is a well-known story). The experience gained from this collaboration was used in Italy, where two facilities were built. The two facilities were located first in Ispra, near Turin, which was part of a EURATOM center, and second in the Casaccia center close to Rome, which belonged to the National Atomic Energy Commission. A third facility, located in Pisa and belonging to the Defense Ministry was also used for some time in the period from 1970–1975. In all cases, the research activity during the two decades of the '60s and '70s was mainly devoted to condensed matter physics and involved a rather large number of scientists at the level of the most developed countries. One can mention that the first polarized neutron diffractometer and the first triple-axis spectrometer in Europe were installed in Casaccia and in Ispra, respectively. To appreciate the situation during this period, one can look at Figure 1, where the number of publications per year is reported.