Overview
On January 13, 1976, four people reported encountering a humanoid figure near a communications installation on Monte Verrugoli, a mountain overlooking the La Spezia area of northwestern Italy. During the reported incident, Claudio Ambrosiani took a photograph of the figure. The case later appeared in Italian UFO literature and was documented by G.O.R.U., an organization associated with the investigation and cataloging of unusual aerial and humanoid reports.
The witnesses were identified as Claudio Ambrosiani, Ermanno Asso, Stelio Asso, and Maria Grazia Asso. Their accounts described multiple appearances by a dark, humanlike presence in a clearing near radio-relay antennas. The most unusual element of the report was the claim that, during its final appearance, the figure gradually vanished from the lower body upward.
The Reported Encounter
According to the account, security guard Ermanno Asso was leaving the SIP communications installation on Monte Verrugoli when his car’s brakes appeared to fail. He stopped the vehicle against an embankment and contacted his father, Stelio Asso. Stelio arrived at approximately 7:50 p.m., accompanied by Maria Grazia Asso and her husband, Ambrosiani.
After addressing the vehicle problem, the group remained in a nearby clearing. The witnesses later recalled an “unreal silence”, saying that the ordinary sounds of the surrounding countryside had temporarily disappeared. They then reported seeing a rapidly moving presence cross the area. The group began taking photographs with flash cameras, and approximately two minutes later, a humanoid figure was said to have moved across the clearing. Ambrosiani reportedly captured the image during this appearance.
A second, similar figure was later reported crossing the clearing. Another sighting occurred as the group prepared to leave the site. At that point, the witnesses said the figure moved toward them before beginning to disappear progressively upward. The later G.O.R.U. account stated that a portion of the figure’s right leg remained visible during the sequence.
Descriptions and Equipment
The physical descriptions varied between the earliest 1976 account and the later G.O.R.U. documentation. The initial account described the figure as approximately 1.60 meters tall, dark in appearance, with a lighter area around its head or upper body. The later description gave a height of approximately 1.70 to 1.75 meters and characterized the figure as robustly built.
In that version, the entity was said to wear a tight blue-black one-piece suit and a helmet with a very dark visor. Witnesses also reported a cylindrical or oval object near its right hand, estimated at roughly 20 centimeters long, 10–12 centimeters wide, and 5–6 centimeters thick. Additional reported features included a rectangular apparatus on the upper back and a greenish luminous object on the left arm.
Witness Testimony and Historical Context
During the final episode, Ambrosiani and Ermanno Asso had reportedly reached the car while Stelio Asso and Maria Grazia followed approximately 20 meters behind. The latter pair said they heard rustling and heavy breathing close beside them. They described the sound as if it were passing through a mouthpiece and said it continued for roughly ten meters before stopping.
The photograph and testimony were circulated in Italian UFO publications during 1976, making the Monte Verrugoli incident an early example of a humanoid-entity case supported by a claimed photographic record. However, the available material does not establish the identity of the figure or independently verify the reported disappearance. The differing measurements and descriptions also underscore the importance of distinguishing between the witnesses’ original recollections, later summaries, and interpretations of the photograph. As with other historical UFO cases, the incident remains a documented report rather than confirmed evidence of an extraterrestrial or otherwise anomalous being.
