Within Marche
Why Did Ancona Become a UFO Hotspot?
Repeated reports around Ancona and Monte Conero created Marche's most persistent coastal hotspot, but the surviving files remain incomplete.
On this page
- The main coastal locations and dates
- Recurring shapes and movements
- Why the evidence remains inconclusive
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
Between 1985 and 1988, reports of unusual lights and objects repeatedly appeared along the coast around Falconara, Ancona, Portonovo, Numana, Sirolo and Monte Conero. The concentration was real at the level of recorded testimony: dozens of entries describe formations over the Adriatic, objects apparently approaching from the sea, hovering lights and, in a few dramatic accounts, shapes entering or emerging from the water. The busiest period was 1987, when reports recurred from winter through late summer.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Yet the Ancona wave is not a single well-documented incident. It is a family of short, unevenly preserved reports, largely known through a retrospective catalogue rather than complete contemporary case files. Exact witness statements, weather data, photographs, radar traces and investigation records are absent from most surviving entries. Ancona therefore became Marche’s most persistent coastal UFO hotspot in popular memory, but not its strongest body of proof.
The main coastal locations and dates
The wave began conspicuously in 1985. A catalogue published by the Italian National UFO Centre records a series of reports extending from Falconara in the north to Monte Conero and Portonovo south of Ancona. These were not identical observations, but their closeness in time and geography encouraged investigators and enthusiasts to treat them as a connected coastal sequence.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
One early entry, dated 5 May with the date itself marked as uncertain, concerns a night watchman in Ancona. Between about 4.40 and 5.10 in the morning, he reportedly used binoculars to watch six unidentified objects manoeuvring just above the sea. The summary gives no name, precise observing position, angular measurements or information about boats and aircraft in the area. The use of binoculars sounds evidentially useful, but without the original interview it is impossible to know whether the instrument clarified the objects or merely enlarged distant points of light.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Falconara produced two striking reports on 16 August. At 4.45 a.m., two luminous spheres were said to perform manoeuvres, merge and descend into the sea. Roughly ninety minutes later, another report described a disc estimated at 80 metres across, carrying an intense light that periodically went out. The enormous size estimate is one reason for caution: without a known distance, an observer cannot reliably calculate the physical diameter of a light or silhouette in the sky. The two Falconara entries may represent separate events, repeated observation of one stimulus, or unrelated reports later placed together in the chronology.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
The catalogue also records an aviation-connected observation on 21 August. A helicopter pilot associated with the Falconara air base and another person reportedly watched two joined yellow lights with a smaller flashing red light below them for approximately twenty minutes near Paterno di Fabriano. That description is among the more interesting in the sequence because the witness was reportedly familiar with aircraft. Even so, the surviving summary does not state whether the helicopter pilot was flying or on the ground, whether air-traffic control was contacted, or whether the lights were checked against known aircraft movements.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Portonovo supplied one of the wave’s most spectacular numerical claims. During the night of 21 August, between midnight and 1 a.m., witnesses allegedly observed 28 drop-shaped objects, described as golden and pale blue, moving in formation. No original count sheet, photograph or list of named witnesses accompanies the catalogue entry. “Twenty-eight UFOs” is therefore best understood as the reported interpretation of a formation of lights, not as independently established evidence of 28 structured vehicles.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
The year ended with a reported formation over Ancona on 16 November. Several witnesses, including a former municipal police officer, were said to have watched ten red lights surrounding a larger light. The formation allegedly remained stationary for twenty minutes before departing. Multiple witnesses and a long duration could have made this a valuable case, but the record does not preserve their separate descriptions. It is consequently impossible to test whether they agreed before discussing the event with one another or whether the final account combined their impressions.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Reports continued in 1986 but were more scattered. A brilliant silvery light containing what appeared to be a large globe was reported at Sirolo in late February. An object with white and red lights was seen at low altitude over Ancona on 28 February, and a whitish light was observed flying over the sea from Torrette on 12 June. On 17 September, a brown disc with a dome was reportedly seen near Monte Conero and, an hour later, at Mazzangrugno. Another metallic ovoid was reported at Poggio on 23 September.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
The two brown-disc reports are notable because the descriptions resemble one another and occur only an hour apart. They may indicate the same object travelling through the province, but that conclusion cannot be demonstrated from the catalogue. There are no bearings, flight direction, witness locations or reliable times with which to reconstruct a route. Similar wording may also reflect the way an investigator or compiler summarised originally different accounts.
The 1987 peak
The density of reports increased sharply in 1987. On 5 January, a red globe was said to move in a zigzag pattern over Torrette. The following morning brought three entries: a low-flying whitish cylinder over Ancona, a disc carrying apparent markings near Poggio, and a white sphere seen by a night watchman in Ancona. Their timing, between approximately 6.30 and 7.20 a.m., raises the possibility of one stimulus being reported from different positions, although the recorded shapes differ considerably.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Torrette then became the centre of a particularly active sequence in May:
- On 10 May, an object resembling two orange lenses divided by a dark central strip reportedly approached from the sea while producing a humming sound.
- At dawn on 11 May, another humming object was reported in the same district.
- On 27 May, a luminous object was said to hover before departing.
- In mid-June, more than ten additional sightings were reportedly received from the stretch between Portonovo and Falconara.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Other May reports widened the cluster around the Ancona coast. An unspecified object was reported at Castelferretti on 11 May, followed half an hour later by two orange-red lights diving vertically. A green, drop-shaped object appeared over Ancona on 13 May. On 27 May, witnesses at Numana reported flashes over the sea, while luminous globes were said to circle over Massa three days later.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
The reports reached their most dramatic form in August. On 4 August, observers in Ancona described a stationary red light over the water, a red ovoid and five other unusual lights, possibly all parts of the same observation. On 19 August, a dark ovoid was said to rise from the sea. A closely related account from two fishermen offshore described a silvery ovoid emerging from the water and releasing a cotton-like substance. The catalogue itself suggests that the two 19 August entries probably concern the same case.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
The fishermen’s story became memorable because it joined two familiar elements of UFO folklore: an object apparently operating beneath the sea and “angel hair”, the web-like or fibrous material occasionally reported after aerial phenomena. But no surviving sample, laboratory report or contemporary photograph is attached to the account. Spider silk carried through the air, airborne seeds, sea spray and errors of distance are among the ordinary possibilities that would need to be excluded before treating the reported material as physically unusual.
Activity continued at a lower level in 1988. Luminous balls were reportedly seen entering the sea near Sirolo in July. At the end of August, an oval metallic object was observed from Jesi travelling towards the coast, while a crescent-shaped object was reported at Senigallia and Marzocca. Ancona entries in early September describe a fast brown object, six yellow points changing from stationary to moving, and three red triangular formations crossing one another.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
One regional event on 17 August 1988 was explicitly marked in the catalogue as probably a meteor. That entry is important because it shows that not every luminous report was retained as mysterious. It also demonstrates how easily a bright astronomical object visible across a large area could enter the same reporting stream as local claims of hovering or sea-entering craft.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Recurring shapes and movements
There was no stable “Ancona object” reported throughout the four years. The descriptions include spheres, discs, cylinders, ovoids, triangles, drops, crescents and formations of simple lights. Colours ranged from white and silver to red, orange, yellow, green, blue and brown. Some objects allegedly hovered; others zigzagged, dived, accelerated, joined together or appeared to enter the Adriatic.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
This diversity weakens the idea that witnesses were repeatedly observing one recognisable type of craft. A coherent technological phenomenon might reasonably be expected to produce some recurring structural features. Instead, the most consistent feature is geographical: observers were often looking out over the sea from populated coastal settlements.
The apparent water connection is also less decisive than it first appears. From a beach, harbour, cliff or coastal road, a light descending towards a distant horizon can seem to enter the sea even when it remains far above it. The absence of depth cues at night makes height and distance particularly difficult to judge. A light moving away from an observer may dim or disappear below haze, giving the impression of submergence. None of the published summaries records a recovered object, measurable disturbance of the water or simultaneous confirmation from a vessel at the apparent entry point.
Some descriptions are compatible with ordinary aviation lights. White, red and occasionally green lights, especially when arranged in triangles or groups, can belong to aircraft seen head-on, during a turn or in a holding pattern. A flashing red light beneath two steady yellowish lights, as described in the Falconara pilot case, may suggest an airborne object, but the summary contains too little positional information for a secure identification.
Other entries resemble celestial or atmospheric phenomena. Bright meteors can appear as coloured balls, ovals or cylinders and may seem to plunge into the sea. Stars and planets close to the horizon can flash, change colour and appear to move because of atmospheric turbulence and small involuntary eye movements. These explanations are not sufficient for every report, particularly alleged close, structured or long-duration objects, but they show why the visual description alone cannot establish exotic technology.
The mid-June 1987 claim of more than ten reports between Portonovo and Falconara may also illustrate social amplification. Once local people and newspapers become alert to a supposed wave, observations that would normally be ignored are more likely to be noticed, discussed and submitted. This does not imply dishonesty. It means that the number of reports can rise because public attention has changed, even when the number of unusual stimuli has not.
Why Ancona became the focal point
Geography made the Ancona coast a natural observation corridor. Falconara, Torrette and central Ancona face a busy maritime and aviation environment, while Monte Conero, Portonovo, Sirolo and Numana provide elevated or open views across a broad sea horizon. A light seen from several points along this coast could generate separate reports without being directly overhead at any of them.
The area also contained features that encouraged military interpretations. Falconara had an aviation presence, while military installations and restricted areas on Monte Conero were the subject of intense public interest during the 1980s. The Conero park’s own historical account records political controversy in 1984 over the installations, official secrecy surrounding their functions and public fears about possible missiles or weapons beneath the mountain. The defence minister assured Parliament that the installations posed no danger to local health or safety, but the limited public information left ample room for rumours.[giornale.parcodelconero.com]giornale.parcodelconero.comPagine di memoria 1 – Cosa c’è sotto il Conero?Parco del Conero News…
That atmosphere matters because the UFO wave followed immediately afterwards. Strange lights near a secretive military site could readily be interpreted as experimental aircraft, surveillance activity or something even more extraordinary. However, proximity does not prove a connection. No surviving evidence shows that the 1985–88 sightings were detected by Conero installations, involved military exercises, or prompted an official alert at the base.
Falconara’s airport and the coastal flight corridor present a more ordinary but potentially relevant connection. Aircraft approaching or turning at night can appear nearly stationary when travelling towards an observer, then move abruptly when the viewing angle changes. Landing lights can dominate the outline of an aircraft so completely that its body remains invisible. Unfortunately, the published reports have not been matched against period flight logs or air-traffic records.
Local history also contributed to the hotspot’s reputation. Ancona and the wider Marche coast already possessed a substantial record of reported aerial phenomena, including the widely observed luminous passage of October 1954 and Adriatic stories from the national wave of 1978. Contemporary coverage of the 1954 event described observations across a long stretch of coastline and treated Ancona as a central reporting point.[Ancona ri|vista a colori]anconarivistaacolori.itAncona ri|vista a coloriLa volta che gli U.F.O. attraversarono le Marche a 1.000 km/h - Ancona ri|vista a colori… By the mid-1980s, new coastal lights were therefore entering an established regional narrative rather than being interpreted in isolation.
How strong was the investigation?
Italy had an official procedure for unidentified-object reports throughout this period. Following the national wave of 1978, the government assigned the Italian Air Force responsibility for collecting, checking and monitoring reports. The present system asks witnesses to record weather, position, direction, movement, altitude, brightness, colour, shape and supporting photographs or film, with reports submitted through the Carabinieri for technical assessment. Investigators may compare a claim with air-traffic, air-defence, meteorological and radar information.[Aeronautica Militare]aeronautica.difesa.itAeronautica Militare OVNIAeronautica MilitareOVNI - Aeronautica Militare…
That provides an important standard against which to judge the Ancona wave. A robust case would ideally preserve:
- the witness’s signed original statement;
- an exact time and observation point;
- direction, elevation and angular size;
- weather and visibility conditions;
- independent accounts taken before witnesses conferred;
- aircraft, shipping and astronomical checks;
- photographs or film in their original form;
- relevant radar or radio records;
- a documented investigative conclusion.
The publicly accessible Ancona chronology rarely supplies more than a date, place and sentence of description. It does not establish which cases were formally reported to the authorities, which were investigated privately by UFO groups, which came from newspapers, or which entered the catalogue through later recollection.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
This distinction matters because “unidentified” is not a conclusion about extraterrestrial origin. The Italian Air Force defines an unidentified case as one for which the available material does not allow a technical or natural explanation to be established. Its purpose is aviation and national security, not deciding whether intelligent life has visited Earth.[Aeronautica Militare]aeronautica.difesa.itAeronautica Militare OVNIAeronautica MilitareOVNI - Aeronautica Militare…
The official online archive groups reports from 1972 to 1990, but the brief regional catalogue and the Air Force system cannot automatically be treated as matching datasets. The existence of an entry in a UFO organisation’s list does not demonstrate that the Air Force received or validated it. Conversely, a lack of visible technical findings does not prove that no inquiry occurred. It shows that the necessary case-level documentation has not been brought together in the accessible record.[Aeronautica Militare]aeronautica.difesa.itAeronautica Militare OVNIAeronautica MilitareOVNI - Aeronautica Militare…
Why the evidence remains inconclusive
The Ancona wave is stronger as evidence of a sustained reporting pattern than as evidence of a single unexplained vehicle or extraordinary operation over the Adriatic. Several factors prevent a firmer conclusion.
First, the chronology depends heavily on one compressed secondary catalogue. Its entries contain uncertain dates, inconsistent detail and occasional interpretive phrases such as “probably the same object”. Those comments may be reasonable, but the underlying testimony needed to test them is not supplied.[Centro Ufologico Nazionale]centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.netCentro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Second, the accounts do not form a consistent physical profile. The reported objects vary dramatically in shape, colour, behaviour and apparent size. This is more readily compatible with a mixture of stimuli and perceptions than with repeated observation of one machine.
Third, the coastal setting creates predictable visual ambiguities. Distant aircraft, vessels, astronomical objects, meteors and lights distorted by haze can all appear unusual over a dark, largely featureless sea. Claims of objects entering or emerging from the water are especially dependent on accurate distance and horizon judgement, neither of which can be reconstructed from the surviving summaries.
Fourth, the strongest-sounding witnesses do not come with the strongest surviving files. A helicopter pilot, night watchmen, fishermen and a former police officer are all mentioned. Their occupations may suggest attentiveness or familiarity with the local environment, but professional status cannot replace measurements, independent statements or technical checks.
Finally, later reporting has not materially strengthened the 1985–88 cases. The Conero continues to be described in local press as an area associated with unusual lights, but repetition of the hotspot label is not new corroboration. A 2015 newspaper report, for example, referred broadly to decades of lights around the mountain without supplying fresh evidence for the mid-1980s incidents.[Il Resto del Carlino]ilrestodelcarlino.itsoprattutto alle pendici delIl Resto del Carlino“Ho visto un ufo sui cieli di Loreto”February 18, 2015 — 18 Feb 2015 — ANCONA Un avvistamento di un Ufo (Ancona), Stu…
The fairest verdict is therefore mixed. It is plausible that some witnesses saw genuinely unfamiliar phenomena and that a small number of reports might have remained unresolved even after competent checking. It is not justified to combine every entry into a single four-year event or to treat the catalogue as proof of craft operating from the Adriatic. The surviving evidence supports a coastal sighting wave: a period when unusual observations, local expectations, military secrecy and difficult viewing conditions converged around Ancona. It does not establish what, if anything, lay behind the wave as a whole.
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Why Did Ancona Become a UFO Hotspot?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry
Cited by the New York Review of Books as "the best brief for visitation," this classic study presents an analysis of UFO reports and conc...
Wonders in the Sky
One of the most ambitious works of paranormal investigation of our time, here is an unprecedented compendium of pre-twentieth-century UFO...
UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Re...
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Impeccably researched, this riveting journalistic investigation separates fact from fiction, and documents th...
Passport to Magonia
Over two decades ago, eminent scientist Vallee wrote a provocative book about alleged UFO landings, folklore, and certain unexplained phe...
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.
Selected fromUFO poster oneBay.co.uk.
Current eBay listing
VINTAGE UFO FLYING SAUCERS COMIC ADVERTISING A2 POSTER PRINT
Current eBay listing
I Want To Believe UFO Poster Giclée Fine Art Heavyweight Print
Endnotes
1.
Source: giornale.parcodelconero.com
Title: Pagine di memoria 1 – Cosa c’è sotto il Conero?
Link:https://giornale.parcodelconero.com/old/it/giornale/anno-2013—n4-e-5/pagine-di-memoria-1–cosa-c-sotto-il-conero/
Source snippet
Parco del Conero News...
2.
Source: archive.org
Title: lastampa 1994 02 27 djvu.txt
Link:https://archive.org/stream/lastampa_1994-02-27/lastampa_1994-02-27_djvu.txt
3.
Source: archive.org
Title: Full text of “Corrado Malanga
Link:https://archive.org/stream/CorradoMalanga/Italian/1995-07-PinottiMalanga-B.v.m.BeataVergineMaria.LeManifestazioniMarianeInUnaNuovaLuce_djvu.txt
4.
Source: history.com
Title: a year in history
Link:https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/1987
5.
Source: centroufologiconazionale.net
Title: Centro Ufologico Nazionalewww.centroufologiconazionale.net
Link:https://www.centroufologiconazionale.net/avvistamenti/marche.htm
6.
Source: anconarivistaacolori.it
Link:https://anconarivistaacolori.it/la-volta-che-gli-u-f-o-attraversarono-le-marche-a-1-000-km-h/
Source snippet
Ancona ri|vista a coloriLa volta che gli U.F.O. attraversarono le Marche a 1.000 km/h - Ancona ri|vista a colori...
7.
Source: aeronautica.difesa.it
Title: Aeronautica Militare OVNI
Link:https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/ovni/
Source snippet
Aeronautica MilitareOVNI - Aeronautica Militare...
8.
Source: ilrestodelcarlino.it
Title: soprattutto alle pendici del
Link:https://www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/ancona/cronaca/ufo-sopra-loreto-942855c9
Source snippet
Il Resto del Carlino“Ho visto un ufo sui cieli di Loreto”February 18, 2015 — 18 Feb 2015 — ANCONA Un avvistamento di un Ufo (Ancona), Stu...
Published: February 18, 2015
9.
Source: aeronautica.difesa.it
Link:https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ModuloUFO-1.pdf
10.
Source: aeronautica.difesa.it
Title: it OVN I Archives
Link:https://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/category/ovni/
11.
Source: onthisday.com
Link:https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1987
12.
Source: onthisday.com
Link:https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1988
13.
Source: onthisday.com
Link:https://www.onthisday.com/date/1987
14.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/246504842917448/posts/1636283510606234/
15.
Source: dictionary.reverso.net
Link:https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/Marche
Additional References
16.
Source: umap.openstreetmap.fr
Title: 2 avvistamenti ufo in italiani 576400
Link:https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/2-avvistamenti-ufo-in-italiani_576400
Source snippet
openstreetmap.fr2 Avvistamenti UFO in ITALIAni - uMap - Online map creator1985 Val Gardena Parco Naturale Puez Odle estate; 1987 Pordenon...
17.
Source: umap.openstreetmap.fr
Title: avvistamenti ufo in italia 558817
Link:https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/it/map/avvistamenti-ufo-in-italia_558817?allowEdit=false&captionBar=true&datalayersControl=null&embedControl=null&locateControl=null&miniMap=false&moreControl=false&onLoadPanel=databrowser&scaleControl=false&scrollWheelZoom=true&searchControl=null&tilelayersControl=null&zoomControl=null
Source snippet
UFO in ITALIA1985 Val Gardena Parco Naturale Puez Odle estate; 1987 Pordenone giugno; 1988, Dicembre, Cormons d'Isonzo; 1989, Longastrino...
18.
Source: bonmarche.co.uk
Link:https://www.bonmarche.co.uk/
19.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/tvcentromarche/videos/gli-ufo-nelle-marche/1128229674422493/?locale=hi_IN
20.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/SanBeachsanBenedettoDelTronto/posts/la-storia-del-triangolo-del-adritico-degli-avvistamenti-ufo-o-test-militari-segr/1300722212094704/
21.
Source: lemarche.limited
Link:https://www.lemarche.limited/
22.
Source: mappelab.it
Link:https://mappelab.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/MAPPE_07.pdf
23.
Source: dictionary.com
Link:https://www.dictionary.com/browse/marche
24.
Source: amazon.co.uk
Link:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marche/dp/B001AGSX66?tag=searcht-20
25.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/TaffoAncona/posts/segnalazioni-ufo-in-ancona-se-vi-portano-in-cielo-loro-noi-risparmiamo-il-gasoli/1294498429389116/