The article below was published in the daily newspaper Le Soir, France, on January 30, 1980.
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Abruzzo, a region in central Italy, facing the Adriatic, is, according to testimonies, a real "sanctuary" for "UFOs" (unidentified flying objects).
The "UFOs" seem attracted to the mountain ranges of Gran-Sasso in the heart of Abruzzo. A few days ago a squadron of UFOs was seen heading towards the mountains. Witnesses said the craft were circular in shape and emitted a strong bluish glow.
At the beginning of January, in Campli, in the north of Abruzzo, a luminous bottle-shaped object was seen by locals who claimed that the "UFO" remained for more than an hour vertically from a radio relay. Campli is located in an area between Gran Sasso and the sea, an area which would constitute a sort of magnetic "corridor" within which appearances of strange objects and phenomena are frequent.
During 1979, 12 "UFO" apparitions were reported in Abruzzo.
The previous year, a series of unexplained phenomena had even caused panic among coastal populations. It all started on October 12, 1978 with the mysterious death of two fishermen from the village of Martinsicuro. Having left at night in calm weather, they never came back. Their bodies were found 30 meters deep in their boat, intact. In the villages, rumor has it that the boat was "sucked up" by a huge maelstrom. It’s the beginning of "the strange autumn of "UFOs".
The following days, the apparitions follow one another: first a "luminous dome", then a "sort of shoe polish box pierced with round portholes and occupied by little ugly men and beautiful blonde women".
At the same time, strange phenomena were occurring at sea in what all of Italy would call the "cursed triangle": fishermen's stories were multiplying. Some claim that their boat is followed by a "strange red light", others that an enormous column of water has risen, in calm seas, in front of their boat. Or that a boat, pulled by an invisible force, began to move at incredible speed.
Finally, some fishermen say that in front of their boat the water began to bubble or that a mysterious wake split the waves.
Very quickly fear gripped the populations and flotillas of fishing boats took refuge in the ports. The Navy sent units to the area.
The fishermen return to sea, but two weeks later, "UFOs" appear again in the sky. Near Terano, many witnesses claim to have seen four very luminous "UFOs" emitting a loud rumbling sound. These testimonies were confirmed by several air traffic controllers on duty on military bases in the region.
