Eugene P. Wigner Institute (Erice)
Conference and event venue in Erice, Sicily
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Eugene P. Wigner Institute is a teaching, conference and exhibition venue of the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture (EMFCSC) in Erice, Sicily. It occupies the town’s former San Francesco convent, founded in 1364 after a papal bull issued in 1362.[1]
Istituto Wigner–San Francesco | |
Facade on Via San Francesco | |
 Interactive map of Eugene P. Wigner Institute | |
| Address | Via San Francesco, 91016 Erice (TP), Italy |
|---|---|
| Location | Erice, Sicily, Italy |
| Coordinates | 38°2′10.28479″N 12°35′19.46904″E |
| Owner | Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture |
| Operator | Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture |
| Type | Teaching, conference and exhibition venue |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1975 |
History
Count Francesco II Ventimiglia (“Franceschello”) established the San Francesco complex on the site of the Palazzo degli Abati, traditionally identified as the birthplace of Saint Albert of Trapani.[a][1][2] The Ventimiglia were among the most powerful baronial houses in 14th-century Sicily; Francesco II later served as one of the Four Vicars during the minority of Queen Maria.[3][4]
In 1975 the former convent was incorporated into the Foundation as the Eugene P. Wigner Institute (named for the Hungarian–American physicist and Nobel laureate Eugene Wigner); the complex was adapted for teaching and events.[5][6]
Facilities and use
The institute’s principal space is the Enrico Fermi lecture hall—named for the Italian Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi—alongside on-site accommodation for visiting scholars and students.[6] Its halls and cloister are used as a public venue for concerts, opera and exhibitions.[7][8]
In August 2025 the cloister hosted the first modern performance of Alessandro Scarlatti’s baroque opera Amor quando si fugge, allor si trova, conducted by Claudio Astronio in a production organised by MeMA (Mediterranean Music Association) with choreography by Emiliano Pellisari and the No Gravity Dance Company.[9][10][11]
The institute was also one of the venues for two significant art programmes in 2025. It hosted part of the exhibition Niki Berlinguer – La signora degli arazzi, curated by Claudio Crescentini and staged across three sites in Erice (Wigner Institute, the Cordici Museum and the Church of San Pietro).[12][13] From July 2025 to January 2026 the cloister and other locations in and around Erice formed part of Lobsteropolis in Erice by the British artist Philip Colbert—an open-air, town-wide display of sculptures and paintings installed between Porta Trapani, Piazza Matrice, the Balio Gardens, the Castle of Venus, the Wigner Institute and the Archaeological Park of Segesta.[14][15][16]
Gallery
Adjoining Church of Spirito Santo
Cloister of the Eugene P. Wigner Institute
Exhibition and performance venue
Philip Colbert exhibition
Notes
- Here Abati is a family name (degli Abati), not “abbots”; the palace is traditionally linked to the family of Saint Albert of Trapani (born Alberto degli Abati). Some local sources alternate the spellings Abati/Abbati.
