Two cases of falciparum malaria diagnosed in Italy, are described. The two patients, father and son, live in Geneva 3 kilometers away from the International airport. In July 1989, they left Switzerland for a short visit to Italy. Seven days after their arrival in Italy, they developed symptoms of malaria, subsequently microscopically confirmed. They had not been abroad for the past 25 years and therefore they had probably contracted the infection from an imported tropical mosquito carried to Geneva from the airport to or nearby their house.