  The Gerda experiment designed to search for the neutrinoless double beta
decay in 76Ge has successfully completed the first data collection. No signal
excess is found, and a lower limit on the half life of the process is set, with
T1/2 > 2.1x10^25 yr (90% CL). After a review of the experimental setup and of
the main Phase I results, the hardware upgrade for Gerda Phase II is described,
and the physics reach of the new data collection is reported.
