Case description
At about 3:30 p.m. on September 18, 1978, railway worker Giorgio Filiputti, forty-seven, was fishing near Melaria in the Porto Nogaro area of northeastern Italy. A persistent whistle and localized wind disturbed the water and reeds. After several minutes he left his rod and climbed the bank, reporting a small domed disc on the mudflat about twenty-five metres away.
He estimated a width of four to five metres. Three thick telescopic supports ended in round pads; the shining surface was described as copper-coloured or golden-silver. A roughly 1.3-metre figure appeared on the rim. Its close-fitting suit had a fish-scale pattern, with white gloves, dark footwear and two belt pouches. The visible face was described variably as yellowish or olive-bronze, with elongated eyes and otherwise ordinary nose and mouth.
The figure reportedly hesitated on seeing Filiputti, then manipulated a crescent-shaped projection near the dome, an action he interpreted as repair. It disappeared behind the dome. The craft rose with a loud rumble, retracted its supports and accelerated away, becoming a golden light. He subsequently showed another fisherman shallow marks, which that man initially thought could have been made by barrels.
Later accounts describe delayed disclosure and investigation by Antonio Chiumiento. The other fisherman did not witness the landing or occupant, and the reported traces do not establish their origin. The plate preserves the unusual suit and small craft rather than substituting a generic gray alien.
