Touring the Planck Scale is a memorial volume dedicated to the memory of Antonio  Aurilia, edited by Dr. Piero  Nicolini of Physics Department of University of Trieste. The book gathers contributions from a distinguished roster of international experts—including R.  Balbinot, B.  Carr, G.  Dvali, R. Mann, E.  Spallucci, A.  Smailagic, P.  Townsend, and many others - to explore the frontier of fundamental physics at energies between the electroweak scale and the Planck scale.

The opening sections, written by Dr.  Nicolini, provide a biographical portrait of Aurilia, emphasizing his influential tenure as an INFN researcher in Trieste from 1974 to 1987, and set the scientific context for the volume. The core chapters survey the theoretical landscape beyond the Standard Model: string‑theoretic objects, higher‑dimensional black holes, non‑commutative geometry, and other approaches that seek to unite quantum mechanics with general relativity.

Later contributions examine exotic quantum‑gravity effects-analogue black‑hole systems in Bose‑Einstein condensates, Lorentz‑violating extensions of electrodynamics, holographic cosmological models, and dimensional reduction near the Planck length.

The concluding chapter, also authored by Dr.  Nicolini, looks ahead to the future of quantum gravity. Titled “Three Good Reasons to Explore the Planck Scale,” it distills the scientific motivations for probing this regime and outlines promising directions for upcoming research.

Overall, the volume serves both as a tribute to a pioneering physicist whose work at INFN‑Trieste helped shape modern theoretical physics, and as a state‑of‑the‑art reference for researchers interested in quantum gravity, string theory, black‑hole thermodynamics, and the deepest questions about the structure of space‑time.