We have studied the initial stages of adsorption of C-60 on the Pt (110)-(1 x 2) surface by means of STM. At room temperature, fullerene molecules adsorb in the troughs between two adjacent Pt rows of the missing row reconstruction. Mobility over the terraces is negligible, denoting strong bonding with the surface, also testified by a well-defined orientation of fullerene monomers with respect to the substrate. Upon annealing at 750 K, molecular migration towards kinks and step edges occurs, where small islands nucleation begins. A commensurate registry with the substrate is maintained by small (5-10 molecules) C-60 aggregates, leading to expanded nearest-neighbour distances with respect to those found in hexagonal close packed fullerene ad-islands grown on other metallic substrates. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.