9 February 2026. The President and all the staff of the Enrico Fermi Research Centre express their condolences on the passing of Prof. Antonino Zichichi, internationally renowned physicist and key figure in the history of our organisation.

Born in Trapani in 1929, Zichichi worked at leading international research centres. In 1965 at CERN in Geneva, he led the group that observed antideutons for the first time. He worked at Fermilab in Chicago and led the group at the University of Bologna — where he was professor emeritus — in the first experiments on collisions between matter and antimatter at the National Laboratories in Frascati.

His institutional commitment saw him serve as President of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (1977-1982) and of the European Physical Society (1978). He was the creator of the Gran Sasso National Laboratories and the founder of the “Ettore Majorana” Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice. Together with Isidor Isaac Rabi, he also founded the World Lab to support scientific projects in developing countries.

For us, his loss has an even deeper meaning. Antonino Zichichi was one of the promoters of the committee of interest, created to restore the building in Via Panisperna to its original scientific function, and the person who, in practical terms, contributed to the passing of Law No. 62 of 15 March 1999, which established the Enrico Fermi Historical Museum of Physics and Study and Research Centre.

Under his presidency, the CREF pursued the dual mission of developing original lines of research and curating the historical museum dedicated to the legacy of Enrico Fermi. In particular, Zichichi promoted and led the EEE project, a scientific experiment involving Italian high schools in the detection of cosmic rays using muon telescopes.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and the entire scientific community. His legacy will live on in the rigour and passion of the organisation’s researchers.