Walter Rizzi Dolomite Mountains Incident (1968)

In 1968, Walter Marino Rizzi, an industrial representative from Bolzano in South Tyrol, reported an extraordinary encounter in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy. The event took place around 1:00 a.m. on a summer night, often identified as early July, while he was driving a Fiat 600 across the Grödner (Gardena) Pass and the Sella Pass. Earlier that evening, he had been with a Dutch girl holidaying at St. Kassian in the Gader Valley, and they parted around midnight. He then continued his drive toward Campitello di Fassa, his birthplace, where his aunt operated the Sporthotel. The weather conditions were poor, with thick clouds and banks of mist, and he later recalled that he had nearly driven off the road several times before deciding to pull over deliberately at a roadside sand-dump to rest in his car.

He was awakened by a sharp, burning, ozone-like smell, which prompted him to step outside and check the vehicle, though he found nothing wrong. Looking downhill across the road, he noticed a bright light roughly 500 meters away. At first, he assumed it might be a hotel terrace, though this made little sense given the remote, uninhabited location. As the mist shifted and cleared, the true shape of the object became visible, revealing an enormous silvery craft standing in the grass.

At some distance he also noticed a massive robot-like figure outside the craft. As he approached, the details became clearer. The figure was described as roughly eight feet tall, supported by three legs and equipped with four arms, appearing to carry out some kind of work on or near the ground beside the craft. In some descriptions, this entity is also referred to as a kind of mechanical or “ring-like” apparatus engaged in activity around the landing site.

Rizzi continued moving closer until he reached a distance of only a few meters. At approximately three meters away, his body suddenly became immobilized, as if held by an invisible barrier or force field. He tested this boundary by throwing a stone toward the craft, which reportedly vanished or disintegrated in a flash of light. Through telepathic communication, he was warned that moving even one meter closer would cause him to disintegrate.

The craft itself emitted an extremely intense light that was painful to look at. It produced a distinct halo of orange and violet light extending roughly half a meter from its surface. Despite this brightness, the surrounding area remained strangely dark, and the light cast no visible shadows, adding to the unusual nature of the encounter.

Inside the craft, Rizzi primarily interacted with a single humanoid being visible beneath what appeared to be a transparent dome or hood. Communication occurred entirely through telepathy. The being conveyed detailed information about its origin, technology, and purpose, along with impressions of its anatomy and movements that Rizzi later described in detail.

Rizzi described the humanoid in precise anatomical terms as about 1.60 meters tall with broadly human proportions but noticeably broad shoulders, a very slim midsection, and powerful musculature suited to higher atmospheric pressure. The head appeared wider than a human’s, with the neck and skull fully visible beneath a glass-like hood that enclosed the head and shoulders, with smooth tubes visible behind it. The being could rotate its head completely around without wrinkling the neck. Its eyes were set farther apart than human eyes, slightly upturned, with a chestnut-brown sclera and green pupils that reflected blue and could shift shape from round to narrow like a cat’s.

The eyes emitted a soft glow at times that produced a calm, pleasant sensation. The nose was small, the mouth thin, and when it smiled the teeth appeared as two uniform white bands rather than individual teeth. The ears were small and close to the head, and the skin appeared smooth and olive-green, almost rubber-like in texture. The limbs showed unusual proportions, with longer upper sections in both arms and legs, long fingers on the hands, and feet somewhat resembling a hoof-like form. The being moved with a light, hopping gait, similar to low-gravity movement, and raised its hand in greeting. Through the telepathic exchange, Rizzi was also given insight into its physiology, including a simpler internal structure, highly developed lungs and heart, a different fluid circulating in place of blood, and a diet consisting of plant-based foods, while its civilization relied heavily on automation and non-human labor for physical tasks.

According to Rizzi, the being explained that they came from a distant but neighboring galaxy, from a planet significantly larger than Earth orbiting within a binary star system with two suns. Their world had experienced a major catastrophe in the past. Their civilization was described as highly advanced and largely automated, with systems that functioned without direct manual control. The craft he encountered was said to be part of a larger technological network that included a mothership.

The beings stated that their planet had vegetation similar to Earth, including plants and grass, but lacked certain forms of animal life, creating an imbalance. They claimed to be collecting animal samples from Earth, some of which they suggested had originally been introduced by them in the distant past, in order to restore balance to their own ecosystem.

Rizzi was also given warnings about the future of Earth. He was told that the planet was facing a serious imbalance and that a major geological event would occur, described as a crack or displacement forming in the Earth’s crust beneath the Atlantic Ocean. This event was presented as potentially catastrophic on a global scale. Alongside this, the beings emphasized the dangers of nuclear conflict and stressed the importance of peace and balance for humanity’s future.

During the interaction, Rizzi asked about God. The response he described was pantheistic in nature, suggesting that everything is interconnected and divine, including all forms of existence. The experience had a profound emotional effect on him. He reported feeling completely exposed, as though the being could see through him entirely, yet at the same time he felt an overwhelming sense of peace, unity, and connection with everything around him.

As the encounter came to an end, Rizzi became distressed and pleaded with the being not to leave. He described feeling inconsolable, overcome with emotion. The being told him it could not leave anything behind, stating that it would harm him. The craft then departed, leaving behind three landing impressions in the ground, which Rizzi later examined and measured at the site.

Following the encounter, Rizzi experienced lasting physical effects. For approximately a year, he suffered from skin problems, a neuro-vegetative disorder, and hair loss. These symptoms have been compared to radiation-like exposure in other close encounter reports. Beyond the physical effects, he also described long-term psychological and spiritual changes, including a lasting sense of connection and transformation.

Rizzi kept the experience private for about eleven years due to fear of ridicule. He first publicly spoke about it in 1979 on Radio Nord Bolzano and later on Italian RAI television. He also presented the case in Germany in October 1979, where researchers Hans Hermann Markert and Daphne Markert interviewed him in detail. They compiled his account, including maps of the location and his own color slides of the area, and forwarded the material to Flying Saucer Review. The case was published internationally in 1980, with editor Gordon Creighton noting both the consistency of Rizzi’s testimony and the significance of the message about Earth’s future. It later appeared in Timothy Good’s book Alien Base.

As with many reports of this nature, interpretation is left to the reader, and the case continues to be discussed as part of the wider study of unidentified aerial phenomena and reported contact experiences.