Light House at Livorno
The lighthouse is called Fanale dei Pisani since it was built by the Pisans in 1303. The project is attributed to Giovanni Pisano and master builders Rocco Entello De Spina and Bonaggiunta Ciabatti, whose names were found engraved on a stone.[2] The lighthouse was built on an emerging rock, surrounded by the sea at the south entrance of the harbor; it is formed by a polygonal basement of 13 sides, over which is placed the tower formed by two cylinders, both with an embattled balcony and a lantern on the top. It consists of 11 floors, connected to each other by a 53-meter spiral staircase. Every floor is 3.72 meters high with the exception of the first and second floors, which are respectively 5.55 and 4.22 meters.[3] The lower part of the lighthouse is made of four cylinders of decreasing diameter. The upper part of the lighthouse is made of three cylinders, which makes the tower thinner toward the summit.
The lighthouse was originally built with white Verruca stone from San Giuliano cave near Pisa. Oil lamps were initially used for the light and were then replaced by compressed oil. In 1841 Fresnel lenses were installed and acetylene gas lamps were used, and at the end of the 1800s, the installation was electrified.[4] Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany ordered the construction of warehouses in the basement in 1584, which were later transformed into Lazzaretto di San Rocco and a shipbuilding yard. In 1911, the lighthouse passed under the jurisdiction of the Italian Navy, where it remains to this day.
The tower was intact until June 20, 1944, when German troops blew up it as Allied troops approached. The Fanale was rebuilt in June 1954 according to the original project with material recovered from the ruins and from the San Giuliano cave. It was made from reinforced concrete 30 centimeters thick and covered externally by stone. The new lighthouse was inaugurated on September 16, 1956, by President Giovanni Gronchi on the 350th anniversary of Livorno's proclamation as a city. [2]
Light House at Livorno
The lighthouse is called Fanale dei Pisani since it was built by the Pisans in 1303. The project is attributed to Giovanni Pisano and master builders Rocco Entello De Spina and Bonaggiunta Ciabatti, whose names were found engraved on a stone.[2] The lighthouse was built on an emerging rock, surrounded by the sea at the south entrance of the harbor; it is formed by a polygonal basement of 13 sides, over which is placed the tower formed by two cylinders, both with an embattled balcony and a lantern on the top. It consists of 11 floors, connected to each other by a 53-meter spiral staircase. Every floor is 3.72 meters high with the exception of the first and second floors, which are respectively 5.55 and 4.22 meters.[3] The lower part of the lighthouse is made of four cylinders of decreasing diameter. The upper part of the lighthouse is made of three cylinders, which makes the tower thinner toward the summit.
The lighthouse was originally built with white Verruca stone from San Giuliano cave near Pisa. Oil lamps were initially used for the light and were then replaced by compressed oil. In 1841 Fresnel lenses were installed and acetylene gas lamps were used, and at the end of the 1800s, the installation was electrified.[4] Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany ordered the construction of warehouses in the basement in 1584, which were later transformed into Lazzaretto di San Rocco and a shipbuilding yard. In 1911, the lighthouse passed under the jurisdiction of the Italian Navy, where it remains to this day.
The tower was intact until June 20, 1944, when German troops blew up it as Allied troops approached. The Fanale was rebuilt in June 1954 according to the original project with material recovered from the ruins and from the San Giuliano cave. It was made from reinforced concrete 30 centimeters thick and covered externally by stone. The new lighthouse was inaugurated on September 16, 1956, by President Giovanni Gronchi on the 350th anniversary of Livorno's proclamation as a city. [2]