Etna, Sicily: Military witnesses see lights and tall entities
On July 4, 1978, Italian Air Force and Navy personnel plus a civilian spotted pulsating red lights forming a triangle over Monte Sona in Sicily's Etna Park, leading to a close encounter with a luminous disc and tall figures in white suits.
Background
Witnesses and Location
Four witnesses — two Italian air force sergeants (Franco Padellero, Attilio di Salvatore), an Italian navy petty officer (Maurizio Esposito), and a civilian, Antonina di Pietro — were driving through the Parco dell'Etna in Sicily, Italy when they noticed lights.
Sighting of the Lights
They saw three red, pulsating lights in triangular formation above Monte Sona. After they stopped, one detached, closed to about 300 metres, and disappeared. The group drove on and stopped at a ravine, where they saw a yellow glowing disc 100 metres away.
Encounter with Entities
Beside the disc stood five or six very tall beings. Two approached to within 5 metres, wore close-fitting white overalls, and had shoulder-length hair. They smiled, and one pointed at the disc, which radiated coloured lights. The lights briefly went out as a car passed. The observation lasted 35 minutes; all of them felt a lasting euphoria.
Context and Significance
Richard Hall noted that the witnesses were curious but drove away calmly. They may have known the ideas of the contactee Eugenio Siragusa, but were regarded as serious. The event is classified as a military encounter.