AudioBlog A 1979 Italian UFO Case in an Irish Newspaper

Summary

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Podcast UFO: AudioBlog – A 1979 Italian UFO Case in an Irish Newspaper

Host/Producer: Donna Killeen
Author/Narrator: Charles Lear
Episode Date: August 8, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode’s main focus is a forgotten but remarkable Italian UFO sighting from 1979, as reported in the Dublin-based Evening Herald rather than in mainstream Italian media. UFO historian and author Charles Lear investigates why this large-scale, multi-witness sighting, reportedly involving thousands across Italy—including police and military officials—received little attention at home while being detailed in a foreign newspaper. Lear reconstructs the story from the Irish article and eyewitness accounts, examining official reactions and the striking characteristics of the UFO.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The 1979 Italian UFO Sighting: Lost in the Headlines

• Media Overshadowing
  • Italy experienced a significant "flap" of UFO activity in 1978, dominated by the sensational abduction claims of Fortunato Zanfretta. Other incidents, such as the case discussed, were largely ignored (“…reported UFO incidents get lost when the media is focused on one or more reports that might be more sensational.”) [02:01]
• An Unusual Source: The Irish Newspaper
  • The main information comes from the Evening Herald (Dublin, Jan 3, 1979), not from Italian or international UFO publications.
  • Despite diligent searches, Lear found no Italian press or ufology group records of this specific case, which involved the Italian Interior Ministry and Rome police.

Description of the Sighting

• Massive, Multi-Regional Event
  • The UFO was witnessed “across the length of Italy,” with calls coming in from diverse regions and thousands believed to have seen the object.
  • Descriptions featured a craft “the size of an ocean liner with dazzling fishtail wings” that illuminated the sky for miles.

    “Witnesses described it as the size of an ocean liner with dazzling fishtail wings and said it lit up the sky for miles around.” — Charles Lear, [02:36]

• Official Ministry Involvement
  • Mario Giannini, Interior Ministry spokesperson: "We can presume that thousands of people spotted the UFO" (quoting the Irish article, [03:05]).
  • The object was said to change shape, retract wings, produce smoke/fog, and travel silently—evoking fear among animals and people.
• Police Reports and Statements
  • Multiple Rome patrol units and at least one embassy guard filed consistent reports.
  • Police Captain Giovanni Grimani originally doubted the claims but affirmed credibility due to the reliability and spread of witnesses.

    “…the officers were all reliable and their descriptions were all similar… the calls came from cars and in different parts of the city, and therefore the reports couldn’t be attributed to collective suggestion.” — Capt. Grimani, [03:47]

Notable Eyewitness Descriptions

• Rome Police Near Ciampino Airport
  • Radar at Ciampino showed nothing, but Officer Antonio Giangrande witnessed:

    “It was giving off beams of light over a mile long which reached the ground. The beams were white with a shade of yellow. One went up, the other down. Suddenly those beams of light got brighter and yellower. Then there was a blinding flash within the two arms of the V. It was like a burst of gunfire, but without any sound. And then the object disappeared.” — Antonio Giangrande, [04:20]

    • After, only “a little round cloud” remained and “a glass globe” sped away.
• First Reports—5:30 am, Gela (Sicily) Oil Refinery
  • Security Chief Antonio Ferrara:

    “It was egg shaped at the top, but had these big bright wings or beams of light in the shape of wings which trailed behind it, and it was bigger than any airplane. There was absolutely no sound, a ring of black cloud appeared around it. At the same time, the wings or beams of light retracted, and the UFO seemed to hover in the sky for a few seconds. It vanished like magic. It was as though a black veil had been drawn across it.” — Antonio Ferrara, [05:20]

• Artist’s Perspective—Gragnano
  • Romolo Bondi:

    “It was like an ocean liner that left a great wake of light behind it. It lit up the sky and the mountain for miles.” — Romolo Bondi, [06:15]

• Overall Witness Reaction
  • Bruno Natucci, excavator operator, summed up general sentiment:

    “I was stupefied. I had seen a UFO.” — Bruno Natucci, [06:35]

Investigative Challenges

• Despite scope and official involvement, the case seems remarkably under-documented in Italian press or UFO literature.
• Charles Lear appeals for Italian listeners/readers to investigate local archives and report any findings.

  “If any reader who happens to be in that country feels motivated to take a look, we would certainly be interested if anyone should come across some local reporting.” — Charles Lear, [07:10]

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Memorable Quotes

• On the rarity and importance of the case:

  “What seems like it should have received a good deal of attention from not only the press but investigators as well, is a case that was reported in an Irish newspaper…” — Charles Lear, [02:02]

• On the scale of the event:

  “…the calls came from cars and in different parts of the city, and therefore the reports couldn’t be attributed to collective suggestion.” — Police Captain Grimani, [03:47]

• On the visual spectacle:

  “It was giving off beams of light over a mile long which reached the ground… Then there was a blinding flash… like a burst of gunfire, but without any sound.” — Antonio Giangrande, [04:20]

• On the mystery and media silence:

  “It is almost certain that this story was covered in Italian newspapers at the time.” — Charles Lear, [07:50]

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Timeline of Important Segments

• [01:59] – Introduction of Charles Lear and overview of the lost 1979 case.
• [02:20] – Summary of the story as recounted in the Evening Herald.
• [02:36] – Description of the object and initial reactions.
• [03:05] – Interior Ministry's response, quotes, and statement about nationwide sightings.
• [03:35] – Focus on police involvement; Captain Grimani’s skepticism and reasoning.
• [04:20] – Policeman Giangrande’s detailed sighting near Ciampino Airport.
• [05:20] – First sighting at Gela oil refinery, security guard Ferrara’s observations.
• [06:15] – Artist Bondi’s description from Gragnano.
• [06:35] – General reaction: quote from Bruno Natucci in Torre del Lago.
• [07:10] – Call for help from Italian listeners to unearth Italian press coverage.
• [07:55] – Charles Lear outro and mention of his book.

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Conclusion

The episode shines a spotlight on a spectacular yet largely hidden Italian UFO case, suggesting that even large-scale sightings can quietly disappear from public record—especially amid media distraction. Through primary-source newspaper reporting and several compelling eyewitness quotes, this episode encourages further international investigation. Anyone familiar with Italian archives is encouraged to help bring additional information to light.

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Transcript

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[Charles Lear]

Audio blog by UFO history buff and author Charles Lear a 1979 Italian UFO case in an Irish newspaper It often happens that reported UFO incidents get lost when the media is focused on one of more reports that might be more sensational. This seems to have been the situation in Italy in 1979. There had been a flap in Italy throughout 1978 in a case in December involving a security guard in Torrilia, Fortunato Zenfretta, who claimed with corroboration from supervisors, co workers and the Carabinieri Italian military police that he had been abducted by huge yellow eyed creatures on multiple occasions, dominated the news in Italy at that time. What seems like it should have received a good deal of attention from not only the press but investigators as well, is a case that was reported in an Irish newspaper on January 3, 1979. An extensive search that included the publications of the major foreign and domestic UFO organizations in existence at the time and even Italian UFO publications found no other mentions of a case that involved the Interior Ministry and reports by several Rome police officers. In the January 3, 1979 Evening Herald, published in Dublin, Ireland, there is an article, page 12 of the PDF headlined Thousands dazzled by massive UFO. According to the article, the UFO was reported by witnesses across the length of Italy. Witnesses described it as the size of an ocean liner with dazzling fishtail wings and said it lit up the sky for miles around. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Mario Giannini, said witnesses reported that the ufo, in the reporter's words, retracted its wings and changed shape, created a screen of smoke or fog and disappeared behind. It traveled noiselessly but sent birds and wildlife dashing for cover. Giannini is quoted saying that the Ministry received dozens of calls about the UFO from all over the country, and he estimated that based on this, we can presume that thousands of people spotted the ufo. The article then focuses on the involvement of the Rome police, alerted to the UFO's presence by calls from four patrol cars and a patrolman on duty outside an embassy. Police captain, Giovanni Grimani, is quoted saying he was skeptical at first, but that the officers were all reliable and their descriptions were all similar. He added that the calls came from cars and in different parts of the city, and therefore the reports couldn't be attributed to collective suggestion. According to the article, when the Rome police contacted the Ciampino Airport control tower, they were told that nothing unusual had been tracked on civilian or military radar. However, a policeman on duty near there, Antonio Giangrande, said he saw a V shaped object that was much larger than a plane and seemed to be made of opaque crystal. Gian Grande is then quoted at length. It was giving off beams of light over a mile long which reached the ground. The beams were white with a shade of yellow. One went up, the other down. Suddenly those beams of light got brighter and yellower. Then there was a blinding flash within the two arms of the V. It was like a burst of gunfire, but without any sound. And then the object disappeared. All that remained at the spot in the sky was a little round cloud, but you could see what looked like a glass globe speeding off in the distance. According to the article, the first people to spot the object were workers arriving at 5:30am for the day shift at an oil refinery in Gila on the coast of Sicily. Chief security guard Antonio Ferrara, who said he never believed in UFOs before, is quoted describing it. He was egg shaped at the top, but had these big bright wings or beams of light in the shape of wings which trailed behind it, and it was bigger than any airplane. There was absolutely no sound, a ring of black cloud appeared around it. At the same time, the wings or beams of light retracted, and the UFO seemed to hover in the sky for a few seconds. It vanished like magic. It was as though a black veil had been drawn across it. The craft left no trace in the sky. An artist, Romolo Bondi, who saw the object over a mountain in Gragnano near his home, is quoted saying, it was like an ocean liner that left a great wake of light behind it. It lit up the sky and the mountain for miles. Finally, summing up the reaction of terrified witnesses, excavating machine operator Bruno Natucci from Torre del Lago, Puccini is quoted saying, I was stupefied. I had seen a ufo. It is almost certain that this story was covered in Italian newspapers at the time. So if any reader who happens to be in that country feels motivated to take a look, we would certainly be interested if anyone should come across some local reporting. Charles Learn is the author of the Flying Saucer investigators, in its second edition on Amazon.com.

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