The Victory Lighthouse
The monumental lighthouse on the coast
On the hill of Gretta, above the seafront of Barcola, north of the centre of Trieste, stands the Faro della Vittoria, the Victory Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in the world and one of the symbols of the city. Built between 1923 and 1927 on a design by the Triestine architect Arduino Berlam, on the foundations of an Austrian fort, it is about 68 metres high and combines two functions: it is a working lighthouse, whose beam can be seen up to 35 nautical miles away, guiding ships into the Gulf of Trieste, and a monument to the sailors who died in the First World War, after which Trieste became part of Italy.
The tower, clad in white Istrian stone and grey Karst stone, is crowned by a copper statue of the Winged Victory, about seven metres high, the work of the sculptor Giovanni Mayer, while at its base stands the statue of an "Unknown Sailor", by the same sculptor, and the anchor of the destroyer Audace, the first Italian ship to enter the port of Trieste on 3 November 1918. The lighthouse can be visited in the warm season: climbing the internal staircase of more than 280 steps, you reach the panoramic terrace under the lantern, from which the view sweeps over the whole city, the gulf, the coast of Istria, the Castle of Miramare and, on clear days, the Alps. At night, its beam sweeps over the sea and the city.
Tip: check the opening days, as the lighthouse is open only in certain periods; climb up at sunset for the view.
Where it is
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