Lighthouse of Genoa

Listen first. Gulls call over the water. A ship's horn sounds somewhere in the harbour. Cranes creak and lorries rumble along the port roads below. Above all this, a pale stone tower rises from a rocky outcrop. It looks almost too slender for its height. This is the Lanterna, the lighthouse of Genoa. For centuries, it was the last thing sailors saw as they left this city. It was also the first thing they looked for when they came home.

The Genoese do not usually call it a lighthouse. They call it simply la Lanterna, the lantern. The name tells you something. This is not just a piece of port equipment. It is the city's emblem, its silhouette, its everyday companion. You will find its shape on souvenirs, on shop signs, and on the badges of local football clubs. When people here talk about something truly Genoese, the tower is never far from the conversation.

Look at its shape. The tower is made of two square sections, stacked one on top of the other. Each section ends in a terrace. Above the upper terrace sits the lantern room, where the light itself turns. The whole structure stands more than seventy metres tall. Because it is built on a rock above the harbour, the light shines from even higher. On a clear night, ships can see it from far out at sea.

Here is the first surprise. This is one of the oldest working lighthouses in the world. A light has guided ships into Genoa from this spot since the Middle Ages. In those early centuries, keepers lit fires of dry wood and heather at the top. Later, they burned olive oil in lamps. Today the light is electric and automated. But the job is the same. It still guides ships safely into one of the busiest ports in the Mediterranean.

The tower you see is not the first one. An earlier lighthouse stood here, but it was badly damaged in the early sixteenth century. At that time, French forces held a fortress on this hill. Genoese cannon fired at them during the siege, and the old tower was hit. The city rebuilt the lighthouse in 1543. That rebuilt tower is essentially the one standing in front of you now, nearly five hundred years later.

There is a second surprise, and it involves a famous family. Genoese sources often mention that a man named Antonio Colombo worked as a keeper here in the fifteenth century. He is usually described as an uncle of Christopher Columbus, the navigator born in this city. Historians treat some details of the Columbus family with caution. Still, it is a pleasing thought. A young future explorer may have known this light very well.

Now look at the rock under the tower. Once, this was part of a larger hill called San Benigno. Over time, the city cut much of the hill away to make room for roads, railways and the expanding port. So the lighthouse now stands on what remains — a stubborn piece of the old landscape. Around it, everything has changed. Ferries, container terminals and highways have grown up on every side.

For most of its life, the Lanterna was more than a navigation light. It also had a military role. Its position above the harbour made it a natural lookout and a strong point. Walls and fortifications surrounded it in different periods. Some of these defensive structures still survive around the base. As you walk the approach, you pass through layers of city defence. Each layer shows how important this rock was to Genoa's safety.

Look for the colours on the tower. The red cross of Saint George on a white field is the symbol of Genoa. It appears painted on the stone of the lighthouse. Genoa used this cross for centuries, long before it became famous as the flag of England. The cross is a small detail, but it tells you a clear message. This tower belongs to the city, and the city wanted every passing ship to know it.

Today you can explore the area around the tower on foot. A pedestrian walkway runs along the edge of the port and leads up to the lighthouse. The walk itself is part of the experience. On one side, you see working docks, ferries and stacks of containers. On the other side, the city climbs up the hills in rows of houses. Around the base of the tower there is a park, and there is a museum dedicated to the lighthouse and the port.

If the tower is open to visitors, you can climb the steps to the first terrace. The stairs are steep and narrow, and the climb takes some effort. But the view rewards you. From up here, you can follow the long curve of the harbour toward the old city. You can see ships moving slowly in the water, and cranes turning above the docks. On a clear day, the coastline stretches far in both directions.

Think about what this tower has watched. Merchant ships carrying spices and silk. Warships during sieges and wars. Emigrants leaving for the Americas in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, many of them looking back at this light for the last time. Cruise ships and ferries today, full of travellers just like you. The ships have changed many times. The light on the rock has stayed in the same place.

Before you leave, stand still for a moment and look up. Notice how the stone looks warmer in the low sun. Listen again to the gulls and the engines of the port. As you walk away along the harbour, turn around every few minutes. Watch the Lanterna grow smaller behind you. Sailors did the same thing for centuries. And if you come back after dark, look for its beam turning slowly over the water.