Lanterna - Complesso Monumentale della Lanterna

The Lanterna has marked Genoa’s harbour since a lighthouse was first built here in 1128. The present stone tower dates from 1543 and rises above the port from the seventeenth-century fortifications.

Why it matters

The tower stands on a 40-metre rock; its height is 77 metres, and its summit is 117 metres above sea level. Its light is visible up to 57 kilometres offshore. The earlier lighthouse was destroyed in the early sixteenth century, and the present tower was completed in 1543.

The Lanterna is also part of Genoa’s Mura Nuove, the defensive wall system built from 1626 to 1633 under the Magistrato delle Mura Nuove.

What to notice

The Museo della Lanterna occupies the old fortifications at the tower’s foot. Its rooms present the lighthouse’s history, while the Sale dei Cannoni display lighthouses and lanterns.

The tower’s first terrace is reached by a stair of 172 steps. From there, the port, historic centre and wall line toward the hill forts are visible. The Lanterna has also served as a signal station, armed guard post and prison; an official account records tightrope performances there as well.

Context and history

The Lanterna served the Republic as maritime infrastructure and a military post. Its base fortress formed part of the wall system overseen by the Magistrato delle Mura Nuove. An 800-metre pedestrian path links the tower with the Ferry Terminal and is marked by seventeen interpretive panels.

The monument brings together a medieval lighthouse site, a sixteenth-century tower and the seventeenth-century wall system at Genoa’s harbour.