Although a very tall lighthouse, some of the claims made about its place in the league tables of lighthouses are a little shaky.

The constructed part of the lighthouse is 249 feet tall, making it the second tallest in Europe after Ile Verge lighthouse in France. However, locals prefer to include the small mound of rock upon which it sits (this too is an artificial structure as the surrounding rock was quarried away).

If you include this mound, the height now becomes 383 feet making it the tallest in Europe. It's pretty well agreed that this lighthouse is the third oldest lighthouse in the world (after the Tower of Hercules in Spain and one on an Island in Estonia). It was constructed in its present form in 1543.

Arriving by ferry or cruise ship into Genova, the sight of the lighthouse is very evocative, particularly at night and the tower does help one navigate around the complex ferry port area.