The Luciano Galli Story

July 7, 1957

This is an English Translation ( from Italian ) by Lou Zinsstag of Switzerland.

IT IS REPRINTED FROM THE DOMENICA DEL CORRIERE DELLA SERA of JUNE 1962.

(EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION) - WHEN WE ASKED OUR CORRESPONDENT, MR RENATO ALBANESE, TO GO AND VISIT SOME OF THE PEOPLE IN ITALY WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE SEEN UFOs,MR. ALBANESE LAUGHED OUT LOUD. BUT KNOWING IT IS ONE OF HIS PROFESSIONAL DUTIES TO FOLLOW THE TRACKS OF INTERESTING READER STORIES - EVEN IF THEY SOUNDED LIKE HALLUCINATION - ALBANESE MADE THE TRIP. WE EXPECTED HIM TO COME BACK STILL LAUGHING, STILL MAKING FUN OF THE UFO STORY, BUT HE RETURNED IN A VERY DIFFERENT, VERY EARNEST MOOD. HE SEEMED TO BE DEEPLY AFFECTED. "FRANKLY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY," HE SAID. "I HAVE HEARD SUCH AMAZING THINGS. IF THOSE FLYING CONTRAPTIONS DO NOT EXIST, THEN THERE IS A STILL MORE UNBELIEVABLE STRANGENESS BEHIND ALL THlS".

ALBANESE'S INTERVIEW WITH THE MECHANIC LUCIANO GALLI OF BOLOGNA, ITALY

GALLI IS A SIMPLE NORMAL MAN, 42 YEARS OLD, RATHER SMALL IN STATURE.  HE DOES NOT LOOK HIS AGE BECAUSE THE EXPRESSION OF HIS FACE IS SOMEWHAT CHILDLIKE. HE IS SHORT-SIGHTED AND WEARS HIS GLASSES CONSTANTLY. GALLI IS MARRIED AND HAS THREE CHILDREN. HIS FLAT IS SOMEWHERE NEAR THE VIA CASTIQLIONE.  I RECEIVED HIS ADDRESS THROUGH ALBERTO PEREGO AT ROIIE. GALLI IS A MODEST MECHANIC AND HEAD OF A SMALL WORKSHOP. HIS FREE TIME IS SPENT IN FISHING.

 I HAD ARRIVED IN A RENTED CAR. WITHOUT FORMALITIES, GALLI TOOK THE WHEEL AND DROVE ME WITH COMPETENCE TO THE SPOT WHERE HE HAD MET THE UFO CRAFT. THIS HAD HAPPENED ON JULY 7TH, 1957. OUR CAR LEFT THE TOWN, WENT AROUND SAN RUFFILLO AND FOLLOWED A SMALLER ROAD OVER A HILL. FROM THERE WE CAME TO A RIDGE NAMED CROARA, 57 KM AWAY FROM BOLOGNA. WE LEFT THE CAR AND WENT TO A LOWER GROUND. THE GROUND WAS SURROUNDED BY MUSKY ROCKS. HERE, GALLI SAID, THE UFO AWAITED HIM, HOVERING ABOUT 2M ABOVE THE GROUND.   

 GALLI DESCRIBED THE COLOUR OF THE OBJECT AS SHINING GRAY. HIS DETAILED DESCRIPTION REMINDED THIS INTERVIEWER MUCH OF GEORGE ADAMSKI'S PHOTOS OF BELL-SHAPED CRAFT.  YET, GALLI WAS READY TO TAKE AN OATH THAT AT THE TIME OF HIS EXPERIENCE HE HAD NOT EVEN HEARD THE NAME OF ADAMSKI.  (IN FACT NO ONE KNEW ABOUT ADAMSKI'S SIMILAR EXPERIENCES AT THAT TIME IN ITALY, WHOSE BOOKS WERE ONLY IN ENGLISH.) 

LATER, IN ORDER TO MAKE ME (ALBANESE) BELIEVE THAT HE WAS NOT TELLING FAIRY TALES HE WANTED TO SIGN A DECLARATION: "I DO NOT WANT PEOPLE TO SAY THAT I MADE UP THIS STORY IN ORDER TO GAIN PUBLICITY OR MONEY. WHAT I HAVE TOLD IS THE NAKED TRUTH."

 HERE ARE THE PARTICULARS OF HIS STORY

ON JULY 7TH, GALLI LEFT HIS HOME AT 14:20 IN ORDER TO GO BACK TO WORK AFTER LUNCH.  AT THAT TIME HIS WORKSHOP WAS SITUATED IN A BLIND ALLEY OFF VIA CASTIGLIONE. HE WAS NEARING THIS ALLEY WHEN SUDDENLY A BLACK CAR, A FIAT 1100, STOPPED IN FRONT OF HIM.  OUT STEPPED A RATHER TALL GENTLEMAN OF THE DARK TYPE, WITH REGULAR FEATURES AND VERY DARK EYES. "HIS FACE WAS OF THE KIND WHICH INVITES YOU TO BE FRIENDLY," GALLI SAID. THE GENTLEMAN WORE A DOUBLE BUTTONED SUIT COMPLETE WITH COLLAR AND TIE, AND HE SPOKE FLUENT ITALIAN. AT THE WHEEL OF THE CAR WAS ANOTHER MAN WITH DELICATE FEATURES, HE WAS DRESSED IN A LIGHT COLOURED COSTUME; HE WORE NO MOUSTACHE LIKE THE DARK ONE, AND HE NEVER SAID A WORD. "I KNEW THE MAN WITH THE MOUSTACHE FROM SIGHT," GALLI EXPLAINED. "I HAD NOTICED HIM SEVERAL TIMES IN TOWN, HE EVEN SEEMED TO FOLLOW ME ONCE, I REMEMBER, I WALKED WITH A FRIEND THROUGH THE ARCADES OF VIA CASTIOILONE WHEN I SAW THIS MAN AGAIN. AS ALWAYS HE LOOKED STRAIGHT INTO MY EYES AND THIS TIME I WANTED TO ADDRESS HIM, BUT SUDDENLY HE DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW.

NOW THIS VERY STRANGER WAS STANDING BEFORE ME, ASKING ME IF I REMEMBERED HIM. I SAID YES. "WON'T YOU COME WITH US, HE ASKED." WHERE TO? "HAVE CONFIDENCE, NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN TO YOU."

GALLI TOOK A SEAT IN THEIR CAR AND RODE AWAY WITH THE TWO MEN. AT 14:30 HOURS THEY ARRIVED ON THE CROARA RIDGE. A ROUND UFO WAS AWAITING THEM. FROM THE BOTTOM OF IT A METALLIC CYLINDER CAME OUT AND A KIND OF OPENING APPEARED IN THIS CYLINDER. THROUGH IT GALLI ASCENDED INTO THE SHIP. 

GALLI, WHO IN THE BEGINNING HAD BEEN AFRAID, FELT CALM AGAIN AS SOON AS HE WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. HE WAS NOT YET COMPLETELY IN IT WHEN TWO LIGHTS FLASHED UP. "DON'T BE AFRAID, SAID THE MAN WITH THE MOUSTACHE, YOU ARE ONLY BEING PHOTOGRAPHED."

"WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES DID YOU WEAR THAT DAY?" ALBANESE ASKED "EXACTLY THE SAME AS NOW, MY WORKING OVERALLS," WAS THE ANSWER. "AND WHAT DID YOU SEE IN THE INTERIOR OF THE SHIP?"

 "THE PILOT'S CABIN WAS SPACIOUS AND ROUND WITH A LOT OF INSTRUMENTS AROUND, PANELS WITH MANY LIGHTS. THERE WERE ALSO HATCHES, AND THE SEATS WERE FIXED SOMEHOW TO THE FLOOR. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR WAS A KIND OF CIRCULAR WINDOW, ABOUT ONE METER WIDE. THROUGH IT WE COULD SEE THE EARTH FALL AWAY FROM US. FIRST THE EARTH LOOKED LIKE (FROM) ONE OF OUR OWN PLANES, THEN - WHEN WE WERE ALREADY IN THE DARK ZONE - SHE LOOKED LIKE THE MOON AND LATER LIKE VENUS OR MARS."

"WERE YOU ABLE TO TALK TO THE MAN YOU CALLED COMMANDER?" "YES, VERY WELL. HE SPOKE A PERFECT ITALIAN. I ASKED HIM HOW HE HAD MANAGED TO LEARN OUR LANGUAGE SO WELL. HE ANSWERED THAT HE HAD USED A VERY GOOD METHOD."

SUDDENLY GALLI DISCOVERED THROUGH A HATCH THE SILHOUETTE OF AN ENORMOUS DIRIGIBLE.  ITS LENGTH WAS AT LEAST 600 METERS. THE ONE END WAS CUT LIKE THE END OF A CIGAR. THIS HUGE SHIP EMITTED PHOSPHORUS LIGHT AND ON TOP OF THAT IT LOOKED AS IF STRONG LIGHT BEAMS WERE DIRECTED TOWARD IT. UNDERNEATH THE CUT END, SIX OPENINGS CAME INTO VIEW, OUT OF WHICH AND INTO WHICH SMALL FLYING DISKS WERE SEEN COMING AND GOING.  (THESE WERE NO DOUBT REMOTE-CONTROLLED DRONES.) EVERY OPENING WAS DIVIDED BY A PARTITION WALL INTO SIX SMALLER CUBICLES, EVERYONE WIDE OPEN. THIS IS ONE OF OUR SPACESHIPS," GALLI'S COMPANION SAID.  "WE HAVE MANY OTHERS."

 NOW GALLI GAVE A DESCRIPTION OF SUCH UNHEARD OF DETAILS INSIDE THE CIGAR-SHAPED CRAFT THAT HE HAS TO TAKE OVER THE WHOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. HE SAID THAT WHEN COMING NEARER TO THE SHIP THEY SAW THAT THE OPENING WERE BIG HANGERS, CAPABLE OF ACCOMMODATING AT LEAST 5O SMALLER SAUCER-SHAPED CRAFT. NO LESS THAN 400 TO 500 PEOPLE WERE STANDING AND WALKING AROUND IN THE HANGERS - BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. THIS IS WHAT GALLI SAID ON OATH.

ALL THOSE PEOPLE WORE CLOTHES OF A SHINING PLASTIC OR SILKY MATERIAL. WHEN THEY PASSED BY HIM, THEY SMILED. THE WOMEN WERE VERY BEAUTIFUL AND FRIENDLY. GALLI ASKED HIS COMPANION, SPELL-BOUND, FROM WHERE CAME THIS SHIP. "FROM A BASE NEAR THE PLANET YOU CALL VENUS," WAS THE ANSWER.

LATER ON GALLI WAS SHOWN THROUGH A BIG HALL, A KIND OF LIBRARY, INTO ANOTHER BIG ROOM WHICH HE TOOK FOR THE COMMANDER'S AREA.

 SOME TIME AFTERWARDS HE WAS SHOWN BACK TO ONE OF THE HANGERS AND INTO THE SAME SCOUT CRAFT, ALWAYS IN THE COMPANY OF THE MAN WITH THE MOUSTACHE AND A FACE LIKE AN ANGEL IN PLAIN CLOTHES. HE WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE VERY SPOT NEAR CROARA RIDGE. "MY TRIP BEGAN AT 14:30 HOURS OF JULY 7TH AND ENDED ABOUT 17:20 HOURS OF THE SAME DAY, SAME MONTH, SAME YEAR. THE WHOLE TRIP WAS COMPLETED IN THREE HOURS AND TEN MINUTES."

AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS FANTASTIC INTERVIEW THE JOURNALIST ASKED GALLI IF HE WAS SURE THAT THOSE THINGS HAD NOT HAPPENED TO HIM WHILE IN TRANCE OR UNDER HYPNOSIS. "I HAVE NEVER BEEN HYPNOTISED," HE ANSWERED. "I TOOK THIS TRIP IN MY PHYSICAL BODY, THIS IS INDEED SO. WHAT I SAY IS NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH." - LUCIANO GALLI - ITALY

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