Description
The Lanterna is Trieste's old lighthouse, at the end of the Molo Fratelli Bandiera, at the entrance to the Porto Vecchio: a stone column rising from a crenellated tower, half lighthouse and half fortress.
The 33.5-meter lighthouse was designed by Matteo Pertsch and first lit on February 11, 1833. The column that holds the lantern rests on the Torre Massimiliana, with two rows of cannon embrasures: it was meant both to light the way and to defend the port.
The lighthouse was built on a rock, the Scoglio dello Zucco, later joined to the shore by the pier. From 1927 the new Victory Lighthouse, on Gretta Hill, took away its importance, and in 1969 it was switched off.
During the Allied Military Government the column was painted in black and white stripes, removed in 1955. Today it is the home of the Lega Navale of Trieste.
The 33.5-meter lighthouse was designed by Matteo Pertsch and first lit on February 11, 1833. The column that holds the lantern rests on the Torre Massimiliana, with two rows of cannon embrasures: it was meant both to light the way and to defend the port.
The lighthouse was built on a rock, the Scoglio dello Zucco, later joined to the shore by the pier. From 1927 the new Victory Lighthouse, on Gretta Hill, took away its importance, and in 1969 it was switched off.
During the Allied Military Government the column was painted in black and white stripes, removed in 1955. Today it is the home of the Lega Navale of Trieste.