The Black Vault - 'UFO' caught on film

(ANSA) - Palermo, October 30 - Italian UFO buffs are excited about a mysterious ball of light caught on film in Sicily at the weekend .

The phenomenon was spotted by a restaurateur and his wife as they were driving home from work in Sicily's famed Valley of the Temples on Friday night .

"It was a huge object, sending out a shimmering light of different colours from its core," said the restaurant owner, Gian Paolo Guarraci .

"It appeared to be pulsating" .

"I rushed home and got my video camera. As it turned out, I needn't have hurried - it hovered in the sky for about two hours," Guarraci said .

Guarraci has sent his video to a local TV station which will air it Monday night .

One of Italy's best-known UFO fans, Antonio Vanadia, said: "This is an extraordinary piece of footage. I believe we have what experts call a close encounter of the first kind" .

Vanadia said he could rule out conventional phenomena such as a prolonged lightning storm or a meteor shower .

Sicily's self-styled 'UFO Centre' said it would view the tape in the next few days .

The southern island appeared to be a favourite destination for UFOs, the centre said .

"There were 30 strange sightings in 2005 alone," a spokesman said .