Lanterna di Genova

The Lanterna di Genova is the stone lighthouse that has marked the entrance to Genoa's harbour for centuries, standing at about 77 metres on the San Benigno promontory in the western port. A light is first recorded on the site in 1128, and the tower took its present form in 1543 when it was rebuilt after earlier damage, which makes it among the oldest lighthouses still working in the world. The structure consists of two square-section stages, one above the other, topped by a lantern gallery, and rises from a bastion at the base. It is built in local stone and reflects the Medieval-Renaissance military tradition: the lower walls are thick and the base served as a fortified post protecting the entrance to the port. The architect is not recorded in the sources consulted. Through the Republic of Genoa the Lanterna symbolised the city's maritime power, and it has served as the emblem of Genoa on coins, maps and coats of arms. It survived French bombardment in 1684 and later damage in World War II, and it was restored in several campaigns, with a major conservation project in the 1990s opening the base and tower to the public. The surrounding Lanterna Park and the Museo della Lanterna in the former Fortress of San Benigno illustrate the history of the lighthouse and the port with models, instruments and documents. Visitors can climb parts of the tower within the allowed schedule, although the lantern gallery itself is not generally accessible. The museum approach is thematic, beginning with navigation and signalling and then covering the lighthouse's construction and its role in the city's identity. The site is a short walk from Genoa Principe station along the harbour road, and it gives long views over container terminals, the Porto Antico and the Ligurian coast. For historians, it is a rare surviving working link to the medieval and Renaissance port.