[My life as a nephrologist with a passion for renal pathology].

This article retraces the nephrological life of Giovanni Barbiano di Belgiojoso, which started in the late 1960s. Since the beginning renal pathology was his main interest and he was among the pioneers who introduced in Italy the use of immunofluorescence technique in the examination of renal biopsies. Over the years Barbiano di Belgiojoso has carried out, often in cooperation with other nephrological groups, many clinico-pathological studies on a wide spectrum of glomerular diseases. He also played a key role in the foundation and in the activities of the "Group of Renal Immunopathology" of the Italian Society of Nephrology.