Zanfretta UFO Incident

The Zanfretta UFO incident was an alleged alien encounter of Italian nightwatchman Pier Fortunato Zanfretta. He later claimed to have been abducted by the beings 11 times between 1978 and 1981.

Initial encounter
According to Zanfretta, on December 6, 1978, at approximately 23:30, he was examining the villa "Casa Nostra", and upon entering the back yard saw a red, oval object with a diameter of over 10 m. At this point, he called his supervisor, who recalled him screaming. On turning around, Zanfretta reported running into beings who were 3 m tall, with mottled skin as though they were fat or wearing a rumpled suit. The creatures had yellow triangular eyes, and clawed feet.

When the supervisor asked if he was being attacked by men, Zanfretta was said to have responded "No, non sono uomini, non sono uomini..." (No, they are not men), at which point communication was lost.

Zanfretta was later found unconscious and in "a state of shock" by his colleagues.

Later, when under hypnosis, Zanfretta would claim that the beings had abducted him and taken him into a bright room in their craft. He also added to the description of the alien beings saying: "'They are green, with triangular yellow eyes, with big thorns, they have green flesh and their skin is full of wrinkles as if they were old.

Their mouths look like they’re made of iron, they have red veins on their heads, pointed ears and arms with fingernails… with round things… They come from the third galaxy.'"

Aftermath
The incident became famous after Zanfretta was invited onto the show Portobello to tell his story.

An investigation was launched by the Carabinieri, who were able to find 52 witnesses who also claimed to have seen the UFO. According to one, the craft was visible at 19:30 on December 6, and hovered at a height of approximately 1500 m. Where Zanfretta claims the craft had touched down, investigators noted there was a horseshoe-shaped impression approximately 2 m in diameter.

In popular culture
The case was the subject of the play "Loro– Storia vera del più famoso rapimento alieno in Italia" (The True Story of the Most Famous Alien Abduction in Italy).