  In May 1982, when Italy joined ESO, only two isolated neutron stars (INSs)
had been identified in the optical: the Crab and Vela pulsars. Thanks to the
ESO telescopes and the perseverance of a few Italian astronomers, now about 30
INSs have been identified in the optical/IR, and a new important channel in
their multi-wavelength studies has been opened. In this contribution, I review
the major steps in 30 years of INS studies at ESO, highlight the role of
Italian astronomers, and introduce future perspectives with the E-ELT.
