Punta Penna Lighthouse

Punta Penna Lighthouse

Punta Penna Lighthouse in 2007
Location Abruzzo, Italy
Coordinates 42°10′15.83″N 14°42′42″E / 42.1710639°N 14.71167°ECoordinates: 42°10′15.83″N 14°42′42″E / 42.1710639°N 14.71167°E
Year first constructed 1906
Year first lit 1948
Foundation 2-story masonry keeper's house
Construction concrete
Tower shape octagonal
Markings / pattern white concrete, gray metallic dome
Height 230 feet (70 m)
Focal height 277 feet (84 m)[1]
Range 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi)
Characteristic white flash every 5s
Admiralty number E2306
NGA number 113-11100
ARLHS number ITA-138; EF-3856

Punta Penna Lighthouse (Italian: Faro di Punta Penna) is an active lighthouse in Abruzzo, Italy. At a height of 230 feet (70 m) it is the eighth tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, [2] and the second tallest lighthouse in Italy after the Lantern of Genoa.[3] It is located on strategically important spot in Via Madonna della Penna at the port of Vasto.

Built in 1906, it has repeatedly been the subject of reconstruction. In 1944, the retreating German army destroyed part of the old lighthouse and it was demolished. Reconstruction started in 1946 on a design of architect Olindo Tarcione. It was reopened again on May 2, 1948.[4]

The lighthouse is unusual as it looks like a regular brick building with a two-story base which provided housing for the light keeper family and also houses some administrative offices.[5]

A spiral staircase of 307 steps leads up to the summit.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. 276 feet (84 m) according to The Lighthouse Directory
  2. Rowlett, Russ. "The Tallest Lighthouses". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  3. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Eastern Italy". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "I 104 anni del faro di Punta Penna, storie vere: 2007, l'anno dei naufragi" [The 104 years of the lighthouse at Punta Penna, true stories: 2007, year of shipwrecks]. vastoweb.com (in Italian). Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  5. "F.A.Q. (Domande frequenti)". Marina Militare. Retrieved February 8, 2010.

References