Faro di Goro

The Goro Lighthouse stands at the mouth of the Po di Goro, where the river meets the Adriatic. Built in 1950, it replaced an earlier light that sediment had left far inland as the river mouth shifted.

Why it matters

The lighthouse reflects the changing geography of the Po Delta. As the river deposited sediment and extended the coast, the older Lanterna Vecchia no longer stood close enough to the active mouth. The 1950 tower continued the harbour's navigational history at a point where the river, lagoon and sea meet.

What to notice

The lighthouse has a cylindrical white tower about twenty-two metres high, beside the former keeper's house. Its position at the river mouth makes the shape of the surrounding landscape clear: the Po channel meets the Adriatic alongside the sandspit that encloses the Sacca di Goro. The nearby lagoon and river mouth form a protected habitat, with extensive wintering and nesting grounds for birds.

Context and history

Goro's earlier Lanterna Vecchia was built in the nineteenth century near the mouth as it then existed. Gradual silting pushed the coastline seaward, leaving the old light separated from the active channel. A replacement lighthouse was built in 1950 closer to the river's changing mouth. The lighthouse remains part of the working maritime landscape of the Po Delta.