  Neutrinoless double beta decay (0nbb) is a direct probe of physics beyond the
Standard Model. Its discovery would demonstrate that the lepton number is not a
symmetry of nature and would provide us with unique information on the nature
and mass of the neutrinos. Among the experimental techniques employed in the
investigation of this rare process, thermal detectors fulfill the requirements
for a powerful search, showing an excellent energy resolution and the
possibility of scaling to very large masses. In this work, we review the long
chain of bolometric experiments based on TeO 2 crystals that were and continue
to be carried out at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy), searching
for the 0nbb of 130-Te. We illustrate the progresses and improvements achieved
in almost thirty years of measurements and compare the various performance and
results. We describe the several steps that led to the CUORE detector, the
latest of this series and presently in data taking, and we highlight the
challenges that a next bolometric experiment will face in order to further
improve the sensitivity, especially concerning the background abatement.
Finally, we emphasize the advantages of 130-Te in the search for
0{\nu}\b{eta}\b{eta} with a further future (and much) expensive experiment.
