This volume contains the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Periodic Solutions of Hamiltonian Systems held in II Ciocco, Italy on October 13-17, 1986. It also contains some papers that were an outgrowth of the meeting. On behalf of the members of the Organizing Committee, who are also the editors of these proceedings, I thank all those whose contributions made this volume possible and the NATO Science Committee for their generous financial support. Special thanks are due to Mrs. Sally Ross who typed all of the papers in her usual outstanding fashion. Paul H. Rabinowitz Madison, Wisconsin April 2, 1987 xi 1 PERIODIC SOLUTIONS OF SINGULAR DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS Antonio Ambrosetti Vittorio Coti Zelati Scuola Normale Superiore SISSA Piazza dei Cavalieri Strada Costiera 11 56100 Pisa, Italy 34014 Trieste, Italy ABSTRACT. The paper contains a discussion on some recent advances in the existence of periodic solutions of some second order dynamical systems with singular potentials. The aim of this paper is to discuss some recent advances in th.e existence of periodic solutions of some second order dynamical systems with singular potentials.