Introduction

Lake Como and Varese make excellent UFO photographs, but not necessarily excellent UFO cases. Their skies are dramatic, their water surfaces multiply light, and the area is packed with tourists, amateur photographers, aircraft routes, birds, weather effects and night-time reflections. That combination has produced memorable images and local mystery stories, but the best-documented examples are cautionary rather than conclusive. The clearest lesson from the available record is that lake photographs often become mysteries after the fact: a shape noticed on the edge of a picture, a cloud that looks engineered, a light reflected or blurred by a lens, or a distant object with no scale. In Lombardy’s wider UFO history, the Lake Como and Varese material matters because it shows how quickly a photograph can feel stronger than a witness report while still being vulnerable to ordinary explanations. The most useful question is not “does the picture look strange?” but “can the image be tested against the place, time, weather, camera, sequence and alternative objects?”

Why these lakes attract UFO photographs

Lake Como and the Varese lakes sit in a landscape that almost invites sky-watching. Mountains, water, changing cloud, sunsets, storms and tourist viewpoints make people more likely to point cameras upwards or across the horizon. That matters because a UFO photograph is often not a planned observation of an object; it is an ordinary scenic image in which something odd is noticed later.

The Lake Como basin also has a strong cultural pull. Local reporting around a 2017 Lecco photograph explicitly framed the story around the southern branch of Lake Como and the Grigna mountains, describing how a hobby photographer’s image had spread through social media and foreign websites before being treated as a likely cloud formation rather than a craft. The same report noted that the image’s diamond-like “object” had been discussed as an alien spaceship by enthusiasts, while the more grounded explanation was a cumulonimbus cloud, with possible smartphone editing also raised as a doubt.[Il Giorno]ilgiorno.itIl Giorno Lecco, "Un ufo nel cielo": la foto fa il giro del webIl Giorno Lecco, "Un ufo nel cielo": la foto fa il giro del web

Varese has a different but related profile. It is close to lakes, hills, the Swiss border, Malpensa airport and older UFO traditions in the province. A local UFO catalogue maintained by the Italian National UFO Centre lists numerous Varese-area reports from the late 1970s, including lights over Varese, Cadrezzate, Ispra, Campo dei Fiori, Laveno and the Lake Varese area. Several entries are marked as probable false reports, probable identified objects or data-insufficient cases, which is important because it shows a local record full of reported lights rather than a simple chain of strong photographic evidence.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionale

The setting also sits inside a busy airspace. Milan’s airport system recorded 39.3 million passengers in 2024, with Malpensa alone accounting for 28.7 million, so the north-western part of Lombardy is not a quiet sky in observational terms. Aircraft on approach, aircraft descending at distance, lights seen head-on, helicopters, training aircraft and reflected sunlight can all enter photographs without looking obvious to a casual viewer.[Regional Gateway]regionalgateway.netOpen source on regionalgateway.net.

The 1993 Lake Como photograph that became a bird case

One of the most useful Lake Como examples is a 1993 photograph later investigated by a UFO group from Benevento. According to a 2011 report, the picture was taken during firefighting operations when a helicopter was collecting water from the lake. The witness had made a series of shots of the helicopter, then noticed, near the right-hand edge of one frame, a shape that seemed to be some kind of flying object. The photograph and negatives were later given to investigators.[ntr24.tv]ntr24.tvSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di ComoSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di Como

This case is valuable precisely because it did not remain a vague “mystery photo”. The investigators reportedly worked with a professional photographer, digitised the old material, enlarged details and considered local fauna. Their conclusion was that the object was probably a bird, likely a heron or cormorant, although its apparent size relative to the helicopter had initially created doubt.[ntr24.tv]ntr24.tvSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di ComoSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di Como

That is a classic lake-photo problem. A bird close to the camera can look larger than a helicopter far away. A bird crossing near the edge of the frame can be blurred, flattened or oddly shaped. A still photograph removes the motion cues that would normally tell a witness whether the object was flapping, gliding or passing nearby. In this case, the story was not strengthened by time; it was weakened by closer checking.

The most important point is not that every Lake Como image is a bird. It is that one of the better-described cases in the local photographic tradition became less mysterious when the original sequence, negatives, scale problem and natural candidates were examined. That is exactly the kind of process lake UFO photographs need.

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When clouds, reflections and lenses make convincing shapes

The 2017 Lecco case shows another route from scenic image to UFO claim. The photograph was reportedly shared online, picked up by foreign outlets and discussed as showing a large object in the sky. Yet local reporting described the likely subject as a cumulonimbus cloud, not a structured craft, and added that digital alteration with a smartphone app had also been suggested.[Il Giorno]ilgiorno.itIl Giorno Lecco, "Un ufo nel cielo": la foto fa il giro del webIl Giorno Lecco, "Un ufo nel cielo": la foto fa il giro del web

This matters because photographs of lakes and mountains often contain strong contrasts: bright sky, dark ridge lines, cloud towers, reflected water and sunlit haze. A cloud formation can look solid when clipped by a horizon or sharpened by contrast. A bright reflection can seem to hang above water when the viewer cannot reconstruct the exact line between camera, light source and reflective surface.

Lens flare adds another layer. Technical image-processing research describes flare spots as artefacts produced when high-luminance sources inside or near the camera field of view create internal reflections within the camera optics, leaving non-image information on the captured picture. In ordinary language, a camera can record a ghostly bright spot or shape that was not a separate object in the sky at all.[arXiv]arxiv.orgOpen source on arxiv.org.

This is especially relevant around lakes because strong light can come from many directions: the sun itself, glitter on water, windows, boat lights, streetlamps along the shore, aircraft lights, the moon, or reflections from nearby glass. A person may not see anything unusual while taking the photograph, only to find a strange spot afterwards. That “noticed later” pattern should make investigators more cautious, not more excited.

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Varese: a cluster of lights, photos and weak classifications

The Varese record is not just one photograph. It is a long cluster of local reports, many of them brief and low-detail. The Italian National UFO Centre’s Varese list includes a dense run of 1977–78 entries: nocturnal lights at Cadrezzate, Ispra, Campo dei Fiori, Varese and surrounding towns; a 31 December 1977 sighting from Lake Varese towards Campo dei Fiori; and a 7 January 1978 entry from Bogno di Besozzo where six bright objects were reportedly photographed flying towards Ispra.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionale

The same list is also self-limiting. It labels some reports as probably false, probably identified, or data-insufficient. For example, an Angera case in July 1977 involving ground traces is marked as probably false, while a 1985 Lake Varese report says a reporter saw a trail in the sky and took two photographs that later showed strange flashes of light, but the entry is marked “probable false”.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionale

That does not make the whole Varese cluster worthless. It makes it historically interesting but evidentially uneven. The late-1970s period around Varese appears to have produced many local reports of lights, and a few photographic claims, but the surviving public summaries are usually too compressed to answer the key questions: what camera was used, whether the original negatives survive, whether exposures are known, whether multiple independent witnesses saw the same object, and whether aircraft, stars, planets, balloons, birds or reflections were checked.

A 2019 reader photograph titled “U.F.O?” on VareseNews is a modern miniature version of the same problem. The page simply identifies the image as being at Lake Varese and gives a date and contributor, without presenting a full investigation, camera data or independent corroboration. It is a useful example of how quickly a local odd image can be framed as a UFO, but it is not strong evidence of an unexplained aerial event by itself.[VareseNews]varesenews.itVarese News U.F.O?Varese News U.F.O?

Why a lake photograph is weaker than it first looks

A photograph feels objective because it appears to freeze the sky. In UFO work, however, a single image can be less informative than a careful witness report if the image lacks context. Around Como and Varese, the main weaknesses are predictable.

Scale is often missing. A small bird near the camera can look like a large object near a helicopter. A distant aircraft can look stationary when moving towards or away from the viewer. A reflected light can appear to float because there is no visible surface cue.

The photograph may not show what the witness saw. In the 1993 Lake Como case, the object was noticed after the pictures were reviewed, not necessarily observed as an independent flying object at the time. That is a very different evidential situation from a witness tracking an object visually and photographing it during the observation.[ntr24.tv]ntr24.tvSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di ComoSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di Como

Old material degrades. The same 1993 case involved images that were small, low-resolution and damaged by the passage of time. Investigators could digitise and enlarge the material, but enhancement cannot create reliable missing information if the original detail is not there.[ntr24.tv]ntr24.tvSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di ComoSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di Como

Modern phones make sharing easier than testing. The 2017 Lecco image spread across social networks and foreign media, but the local report’s likely explanation was cloud, with possible image editing raised as a further doubt. The speed of circulation outpaced the strength of the evidence.[Il Giorno]ilgiorno.itIl Giorno Lecco, "Un ufo nel cielo": la foto fa il giro del webIl Giorno Lecco, "Un ufo nel cielo": la foto fa il giro del web

The region has many ordinary aerial candidates. Aircraft traffic, helicopters, satellites, drones, lanterns, bright planets and meteors all matter in Lombardy. A 2021 report summarising Italian National UFO Centre figures for 2020 said Starlink was a major driver of reports, while other cases were attributed to planets or stars, photographic reflections or errors, lanterns, aircraft, drones and meteors. It also stated that Varese was among the provinces with five reports in that year’s count.[L'Unione Sarda.it]unionesarda.itL'Unione Sarda.it Boom di avvistamenti Ufo: in un anno 380 segnalazioniL'Unione Sarda.it Boom di avvistamenti Ufo: in un anno 380 segnalazioni

How Como and Varese photo claims should be tested

The fairest approach is neither to dismiss every strange lake image nor to treat a dramatic shape as a craft. A good test starts with the original file or negative and then works outwards.

First, investigators need the unedited original, not a social-media copy. The original can preserve time, exposure, focal length, camera model and sometimes GPS metadata. For film cases, negatives and the full strip matter because they show whether the odd object appears in one frame only, moves consistently, or is related to scratches, dust, processing marks or other defects.

Second, the full sequence should be examined. The 1993 Lake Como case was more useful because it involved a series of shots taken during helicopter water collection, not just a single isolated image. A sequence can reveal whether the object follows the movement of a bird, stays fixed relative to the lens, appears only at the frame edge, or changes position in a way compatible with a reflection.[ntr24.tv]ntr24.tvSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di ComoSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di Como

Third, the scene must be reconstructed. At lakes this means checking the observer’s position, the line of sight across the water, the sun or moon position, the weather, nearby shore lights, aircraft routes, boat activity, birds and terrain. A photograph across Lake Como or Lake Varese is not just a sky image; it is a sky-water-mountain-light geometry problem.

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What these claims add to Lombardy’s UFO history

The Como and Varese lake-photo tradition adds a sceptical but important chapter to Lombardy’s UFO record. It shows how a region can be rich in reports without being rich in decisive evidence. Lake settings produce images that are easy to remember, easy to share and easy to misread.

The strongest Como example found in public reporting is not an unresolved craft but a photograph that was eventually interpreted as a likely bird. The strongest Lecco/Lake Como media example is not a confirmed object but a viral image locally treated as a probable cloud formation and possibly manipulated. Varese’s older catalogue entries show repeated lights and occasional photographs, but also probable false reports, probable identified objects and cases too thin to classify confidently.[ntr24.tv+2Il Giorno]ntr24.tvSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di ComoSvelato il mistero dell'ufo del lago di Como

That pattern does not make the lakes irrelevant. It makes them a useful testing ground. They remind readers that a UFO photograph can be sincere, striking and still ordinary. They also show why Lombardy’s broader UFO history should separate “image claims” from stronger incidents involving multiple witnesses, official records, radar checks, aviation context or preserved primary material.

The fair verdict is cautious: Lake Como and Varese have produced memorable photographic UFO claims, but the best available examples tend to weaken under scrutiny rather than strengthen. Their value lies less in proving extraordinary visitors and more in teaching how lake light, landscape, aircraft, birds, weather and cameras can turn ordinary scenes into enduring mysteries.<section class="further-reading-section" data-page-toc-exclude aria-labelledby="further-reading-title"><div class="fr-section-shell"><div class="fr-section-header"><div class="fr-section-heading"><p class="fr-section-kicker">Amazon book picks</p><h3 class="fr-heading" id="further-reading-title">Further Reading</h3></div><p class="fr-intro">Books and field guides related to Why Lake Photos Create UFO Mysteries. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.</p></div><div class="fr-books-grid"><article class="fr-book-card">Book<div class="fr-book-info"><h4 class="fr-book-title">The UFO Handbook</h4><p class="fr-book-author">By Allan Hendry</p><p class="fr-book-desc">Covers photographic evidence and common misidentifications.</p><div class="fr-book-actions"> See on Amazon</div></div></article><article class="fr-book-card">Book<div class="fr-book-info"><h4 class="fr-book-title">The UFO Experience</h4><p class="fr-book-author">By Joseph Allen Hynek</p><p class="fr-book-desc">Discusses witness reports and evidential standards.</p><div class="fr-book-actions"> See on Amazon</div></div></article><article class="fr-book-card">Book<div class="fr-book-info"><h4 class="fr-book-title">Passport to Magonia</h4><p class="fr-book-author">By Jacques Vallee</p><p class="fr-book-desc">Places unusual visual reports in broader folklore and UFO context.</p><div class="fr-book-actions"> See on Amazon</div></div></article><article class="fr-book-card">Book<div class="fr-book-info"><h4 class="fr-book-title">The Camera</h4><p class="fr-book-author">By Ansel Adams</p><p class="fr-book-desc">Provides insight into photographic artifacts and image interpretation.</p><div class="fr-book-actions"> See on Amazon</div></div></article></div><div class="fr-section-footer"><div class="fr-browse-links" aria-label="Browse more on Amazon">Browse more on Amazon:The UFO booksThe UFO ExperiencePassport to Magonia</div><p class="fr-disclosure">As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.</p></div></div></section><section class="further-reading-section" data-page-toc-exclude data-ebay-localized-links data-ebay-visual-market="EBAY_GB" aria-labelledby="merchant-block-title"><div class="fr-section-shell"><div class="fr-section-header"><div class="fr-section-heading"><p class="fr-section-kicker">eBay marketplace picks</p><h3 class="fr-heading" id="merchant-block-title">Marketplace Samples</h3></div><p class="fr-intro">Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.</p><div class="fr-ebay-market-toolbar">Shop location<div class="fr-ebay-market-picker">UsingUSAUSAUKCanadaAustraliaIreland<div class="fr-ebay-market-menu" data-ebay-market-menu role="listbox" hidden></div></div></div></div><div class="fr-ebay-market-panel" data-ebay-market-panel="EBAY_GB" data-ebay-market-default="1"><div class="fr-books-grid"><article class="fr-book-card"><div class="fr-book-info"><p class="fr-book-kicker">Example eBay listing</p><h4 class="fr-book-title">UFO Trail information board This information board in the main c2013</h4>SearcheBay.co.uk: UFO memorabilia<div class="fr-book-actions"> Browse similar oneBay.co.uk</div></div></article><article class="fr-book-card"><div class="fr-book-info"><p class="fr-book-kicker">Example eBay listing</p><h4 class="fr-book-title">ED WALTERS UFO GULF BREEZE POSTCARD UFOLOGY MEMORABILIA</h4>SearcheBay.co.uk: UFO memorabilia<div class="fr-book-actions"> Browse similar oneBay.co.uk</div></div></article><article class="fr-book-card"><div class="fr-book-info"><p class="fr-book-kicker">Example eBay listing</p><h4 class="fr-book-title">UFO TV Series Rare 9 Card Memorabilia 2003 Promo Preview Set</h4>SearcheBay.co.uk: UFO memorabilia<div class="fr-book-actions"> Browse similar oneBay.co.uk</div></div></article><article class="fr-book-card"><div class="fr-book-info"><p class="fr-book-kicker">Example eBay listing</p><h4 class="fr-book-title">PHOTO UFO OVER ALLENDALE JUST BEFORE SUNRISE I SPOTTED THIS UFO HEADING WESTWAR</h4>SearcheBay.co.uk: UFO memorabilia<div class="fr-book-actions"> Browse similar oneBay.co.uk</div></div></article></div><div class="fr-section-footer"> Browse more oneBay.co.uk<p class="fr-disclosure">Example items shown for inspiration; availability and pricing can change. Branchoria may earn a commission if you purchase through outbound eBay links.</p></div></div></div></section>

Endnotes

1. Source: centroufologiconazionale.net
Title: Centro Ufologico Nazionale
Link:https://www.centroufologiconazionale.net/avvistamenti/varese.htm

2. Source: ntr24.tv
Title: Svelato il mistero dell’ufo del lago di Como
Link:https://www.ntr24.tv/2011/07/15/svelato-il-mistero-dellufo-del-lago-di-como/

3. Source: arxiv.org
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.04384

4. Source: varesenews.it
Title: Varese News U.F.O?
Link:https://www.varesenews.it/fotolettori/u-f-o/

5. Source: arxiv.org
Link:https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.18566

6. Source: news.sky.com
Title: starlink satellites leads to ufo reports 12297446
Link:https://news.sky.com/video/starlink-satellites-leads-to-ufo-reports-12297446

7. Source: varesenews.it
Title: gli ufo valceresio altri misteri
Link:https://www.varesenews.it/2019/09/gli-ufo-valceresio-altri-misteri/855505/

8. Source: varesenews.it
Title: lufo abbiate guazzone serata allosservatorio astronomico tradate
Link:https://www.varesenews.it/2021/12/lufo-abbiate-guazzone-serata-allosservatorio-astronomico-tradate/1410742/

9. Source: ilgiorno.it
Title: Il Giorno Lecco,”Un ufo nel cielo”: la foto fa il giro del web
Link:https://www.ilgiorno.it/lecco/cronaca/ufo-cielo-0e0970e2

10. Source: regionalgateway.net
Link:https://www.regionalgateway.net/sea-milan-airports-report-strong-results-in-retail-and-passenger-spend/

11. Source: unionesarda.it
Title: L’Unione Sarda.it Boom di avvistamenti Ufo: in un anno 380 segnalazioni
Link:https://www.unionesarda.it/news/italia/boom-di-avvistamenti-ufo-in-un-anno-380-segnalazioni-cm6gmel8

12. Source: aeronautica.difesa.it
Title: Aeronautica Militare OVNI
Link:https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/ovni/

13. Source: ilgiorno.it
Title: ufo lombardia 27f87917
Link:https://www.ilgiorno.it/cronaca/ufo-lombardia-27f87917

14. Source: ilgiorno.it
Title: aereo da turismo precipita lurate caccivio como wi8dvk6r
Link:https://www.ilgiorno.it/como/cronaca/aereo-da-turismo-precipita-lurate-caccivio-como-wi8dvk6r

15. Source: aeronautica.difesa.it
Link:https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/RIV_4_2020_FIN.pdf

16. Source: aeronautica.difesa.it
Link:https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/OVNI_2019_202001.pdf

17. Source: nuforc.org
Link:https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=195210

18. Source: Wikipedia
Link:https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO

19. Source: Wikipedia
Title: Lens flare
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lens_flare

20. Source: unionesarda.it
Link:https://www.unionesarda.it/cultura/il-mistero-dell-ufo-di-varese-nascosto-dai-fascisti-dietro-c-era-un-complotto-p1cwwnnq

Additional References

21. Source: youtube.com
Title: Drones, Airplanes, Or UAPs? How To Tell The Difference | Business Insider
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnIxGL_fP9E

<summary>Source snippet</summary><p>Michael Shermer on How to Fake UFO Photographs…</p>

22. Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1nps12m/jellyfish_ufouap_spotted_in_lake_como_italy_8th/

23. Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341443875_Aliens_and_Unidentified_Aerial_Phenomena

24. Source: instagram.com
Link:https://www.instagram.com/p/DZvFzb-pDLJ/

25. Source: milanomalpensa-airport.com
Link:https://www.milanomalpensa-airport.com/en/assistance/contacts

26. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/modeldependentontology/posts/2465345120337657/

27. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/localteam.it/videos/due-persone-sono-rimaste-gravemente-ferite-nella-caduta-di-un-ultraleggero-avven/2513386675751656/

28. Source: instagram.com
Link:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ1FUFSgaVH/

29. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/BellinghamNews/posts/elon-musks-starlink-debris-visible-but-its-also-not-the-first-time-that-starlink/2160007174181905/

30. Source: instagram.com
Link:https://www.instagram.com/p/DT2lOo0DDlj/