Ettore Majorana left Naples on a Tirrenia steamship for Palermo, where he stopped for a couple of days: the trip had been recommended to him by his closest friends, who had urged him to take some time off. That same day, before leaving, he wrote the following letter to Carrelli: \u201cDear Carrelli, I have made a decision that was now inevitable. There is not a single grain of selfishness in it, but I realize the inconvenience my sudden passing will cause you and the students. For this too, I ask you to forgive me, but above all for having disappointed all the trust, sincere friendship, and kindness you have shown me over these months… I also ask you to remember me to those I have come to know and appreciate at your Institute…; all of whom I will cherish at least until eleven o’clock this evening, and possibly even after.\u201d He had instead written to his family: “I have only one wish: that you not wear black. If you wish to bow to custom, please wear some sign of mourning, but for no more than three days. Afterward, remember me, if you can, in your hearts and forgive me.” Ettore would never appear again. The search began. Mussolini himself took an interest in the case, under pressure from Fermi; a reward (30,000 lire) was even offered for anyone who could report him, but nothing more would ever be heard of him again, at least not unequivocally. The investigation would last approximately three months and would extend to a Jesuit convent near where he lived, where he apparently had turned to ask for some sort of help, perhaps as a reminder of his time studying with the Jesuits in Rome. The family also pursued a lead that seemed to lead to the Convent of San Pasquale in Portici, but when asked questions, the Father Guardian responded enigmatically: “Why do you want to know where he is? The important thing is that he’s happy.” It should be noted that in his letters he never spoke of suicide, only of disappearance, and he was careful with his words. Furthermore, he had withdrawn a considerable sum of money (some outstanding wages), the equivalent of about $10,000 today, in addition to his passport. This fact, combined with Majorana’s rational mind, makes the suicide hypothesis unlikely. Amaldi wrote in his Ricordo that he had admirably found answers to some of nature’s questions, but that he had searched in vain for a justification for life, his life, which for him was far more promising than it is for the vast majority of men. On the very day of his disappearance, he had also met the beautiful physics student Gilda Senatore at the University of Naples to attend her lectures. After class, she stays in the classroom, as she often does, to study. Suddenly, Professor Ettore Majorana calls her: “Miss, Miss Senator!” She turns and sees the notoriously taciturn professor standing at the door. A little surprised, she doesn’t move, and he starts to leave. Something makes Gilda stand up and run after him: “What’s wrong, Professor?” Ettore stops and looks at her intently. Gilda can’t explain why, but it was clear something was wrong. “Here, Miss, would you please hold these papers for me? We’ll talk about it later.” This is the last person Ettore Majorana wanted to see. Before disappearing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ettore Majorana left Naples on a Tirrenia steamship for Palermo, where he stopped for a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-623567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-s-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n