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Home , Arno, Giovanni Gronchi, Giovanni Pisano, Livorno, Pisa, Republic of Genoa

Reprinted from the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s The Keeper’s Log ‑ Spring 2010 THE LIGHTHOUSE OF – , By Annamaria “Lilla” Mariotti

he are usually referred tinel and an aid to navigation, to prevent rocks. not only defeated but also to as a dark period in history, but wrecking on those dangerous rocks. destroyed the lighthouse. A new lighthouse was that it is not completely true. In That was enough for the times, but in 1284 built in 1598 by the Grand Duke Ferdinando those centuries the arts started to the fleet of the of Genoa fought I de’ Medici, a strong family ruling flourish, which led to the era of the Renais- against the fleet of Pisa in front of the and later all Tuscany, including Pisa. But the sance. Painting, poetry, architec- lighthouse was demolished during ture, and the beautiful Gothic a storm. A third one was erected are examples of this in 1712 under the reign of Cosimo era. Also, many lighthouses were III de’ Medici, and it is still stand- erected along the coasts of Italy in ing but not working. This the same era. The erected has a very distinct shape: it is made by the Roman conquerors along of four pillars joined by a Gothic the coasts of Italy, , and arch over which stands the tower South have now disap- itself. It was built this way to let peared, with a few exceptions. the waves pass between the pillars. Italy was not yet a nation, but It was not until 1867 that a red it was divided into many small metal tower, 20 meters high, was regions, and every town having located near the historic lighthouse a harbor had its own light. The to mark this dangerous spot. lighthouse of Livorno is one of The appearance of the first them, and it has a long history. Meloria light is not known. There Around the year 1200 the town are no records of it, but it should of Pisa, not far from Livorno, was have been a stone tower, like one of the most important four most of the period, lighted by a Seafaring of its time, wooden or oil fire on top, with a together with Genoa, , glass lantern. The medieval glass and . They were all fight- was thick and dull. The glass was ing among themselves. At the necessary to protect the light from same time, they had a good fleet the wind and needed continuous of commercial and were all cleaning because of the salty mist. trading inside the Mediterranean It is certain that the keepers were Sea and as far as the Oriental monks, the only ones able to live coasts where they could find pre- in such a lonely place and who re- cious silk and fine spices. ceived provisions and fuel for the Pisa is not really by the sea. light by boat. The last keeper was It lies on the , a navigable friar Galgano of the Augustinian river, and in order to defend the order to whom the authorities town, a tower was built in Por- allowed 120 liters (about 25 gal- to Pisano at the mouth of this lons) of oil every three months. river. But soon sea erosion and But he was not allowed to fish, as the sand made useless both the the oil was not be used for cook- harbor and the light. After this, ing, but only for the light. He also around 1200, a new lighthouse was erected on the Meloria rocks, Left: The new lighthouse of Livorno. Fari d’Italia by Enrica Simonetti. four miles off the coast, as a sen-

The Keeper’s Log—Spring 2010 International Lighthouse—Spring 2010 Above: An aerial view of the Meloria Rocks Lighthouse. Left: The plans for the lighthouse. Both images Il Libro dei Fari Italiani by Manfredini & .

coins to pay for wicks, candles, and spong- the other, having diameters slightly decreas- La Divina Commedia with these words: “Sta es—the last for cleaning the lantern—and a ing up to the top. This gives the illusion of come torre ferma che non crolla—giammai salary of 15 liras. a curvilinear taper of great effect. The stones la cima per soffiar di venti” (“Stands like firm In the 14th century, from 1303 and for the whole construction were taken from tower that the summit does not fall when 1305, the decided to erect the nearby cave of San Giuliano and taken the strong winds blow”). In fact this lantern a new and bigger lighthouse near the small to Livorno with a great deal of hard work. faced six stormy centuries until it met defeat medieval village of Livorno, its own posses- At the base there is a small entrance door, at the hands of man, as we will see later. sion, on a rocky corner at the west low side on top of which was engraved the cross sym- Another poet, Francesco Petrarca, praised of the entrance of what was at the time a bol of the town of Pisa, which later was sup- the Greater Lantern in his poem Itinerario natural harbor. It was a moment of peace pressed and replaced by the lily of Florence Siriaco (Syriac Itinerary) as “validissima, dal among Pisa, Genoa, and Florence, so there when the de’ Medici family also ruled Pisa. cui vertice ogni notte la fiamma indica ai was time to think about the erection of a Inside there was a wood ladder that, in case naviganti il più sicuro lido” (“the most valid, monument, which took time and money. of danger, could be taken off; so the tower from whose top every night the flame shows Here is another mystery. How much did was also a fortress. Many black rocks were the sailors the safe shore”). Another writer, construction cost? But after such a long put at the base of the lighthouse to protect Goro di Stagio Dati, in his book The Floren- time, many wars at that time and a war in it from the rough sea. tine Chronicles mentions the tower as “one more recent times, ancient documents are The lantern was lighted at first with oil of the best jobs made by the whole Human- no longer traceable. lamps, and then with the passing of time, ity,” and so did many other writers and - A genial sculptor and architect, Giovan- the system of illumination was changed to ets of the same and later centuries. The great ni di was called to design the compressed . In 1841 a first-order astronomer used to make his lighthouse, which was soon called Greater Fresnel lens was installed and lit with acety- experiments on the top of the tower. The Lantern. He followed the of the lene gas. Finally, the tower was electrified at lighthouse step by step. the end of the 1800s. Nowadays the light is First a polygonal base was built with 13 automatized, lighted by a 1,000-watt halo- sides. On top of this was a tower, finished gen bulb. There are no more keepers living with a fortified terrace, and then a second inside. Unfortunately, there are no records tower, a little smaller, also finished with a of the keepers who managed the light, so fortified terrace, and then the lantern. At this story also is lost. the lower stage of the smaller tower, there When finished, the tower was considered were the keeper’s quarters and storage such a great expression of the human genius rooms. The lighthouse appears to be made that it was admired by the great poet Dante of two conical sections, but it is really made Alighieri, who wrote about it in the fifth of seven cylinders that are placed one upon chapter of the Purgatorio book in his poem An ancient map of Pisa.

The Keeper’s Log—Spring 2010

Reprinted from the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s The Keeper’s Log ‑ Spring 2010 lighthouse of Livorno was also impressed work. Anyway, this changed the appearance It was only in 1860, after the independence in some gold coins, which are still preserved of the lighthouse, which was now enlarged wars, that the history of Livorno become part in the Civic Museum of Pisa. at the base by the new , which of the , a newborn nation, and Pisa started again to fight, first with Ge- were still standing by the early 1900s, but the tower was inserted into the list of the Ital- noa. Around 1406 the town lost its power as now have all disappeared. The development ian lighthouses with the number 1896. a Seafaring Republic after a war with Flor- of the harbor went together with a major Now we have to fly through the cen- ence, and it became a possession of the de’ town-planning of Livorno, whose original turies, and arrive at a sad moment in our Medici family, who bought the town and plan was designed by the architect Bernardo history. It was WWII. In 1943 the German harbor for 100,000 florins. Buontalenti, who encircled the town with troops occupied the north of Italy, while the Cosimo I de’ Medici, a great ruler, re- pentagonal-shaped walls. American armies came up from the south. alized that Livorno was in a strategic posi- A major change in the traffic of the har- was already free and Florence was tion to become a very important channel of bor was made by a law of March 16, 1565, nearly so. The harbor and the town of Livor- trade in the for Florence, to control the collection of maritime cus- no had been bombed many times by the which was inland and was a growing town toms. The departing ships had to stay in Americans, but the lighthouse did not suf- expanding its traffic all around the known line along the wharf, and the loading of fer any damage. Anyway, its light had been world. So he ordered many works in the cargo was made from smaller boats whose extinguished for a long time to avoid the harbor to make it more efficient. And the loads were strictly controlled by the custom possibility of a landing near the harbor. It lighthouse was still standing. authorities to make sure the right duties came time that the German troops decided In 1583 the Grand Duke of Tuscany, were paid. In 1587 Ferdinando I de’ Medici to flee from the Americans, who were draw- Ferdinando I de’ Medici—who, as already changed Livorno into a free port, which at- ing nearer. But before leaving, the Germans mentioned, had ordered a new lighthouse tracted many commercial vessels from ev- went to the ancient lighthouse and commit- built on the Meloria rocks—made major erywhere, increasing the traffic. ted the most terrible insult that could have changes in the harbor, building at the base In these centuries, Livorno was also a been made to such an ancient monument. of the lighthouse a dock yard and a quaran- military harbor, and the lighthouse saw the On July 19, 1944, they destroyed it with a tine station for the seamen coming from the Medicean galleys leaving to chase into the charge of dynamite to the foundations, and Mediterranean and Oriental coasts where Mediterranean sea the dangerous Saracen the old tower collapsed. For centuries it had there could have been epidemic diseases. It pirate ships that in these centuries were at- faced different rulers and the forces of na- is said that the job was completed in only tacking and plundering the Italian coasts. ture, but in a short time it succumbed to a five days, because 5,000 men were put to By the time of the last of the de’ Medici group of men. family, in 1736, Livorno had The ruins were left in place, as nobody obtained the qualification wanted to remove them until the mid-1900s of town and had more than when the population of Livorno wanted its 30,000 inhabitants, a great lighthouse again, not a new one, but “their harbor, and a lighthouse that lighthouse.” was the oldest along the coasts The chairman of the local Chamber of of Italy, older than the tower Commerce and Industry of Livorno, Mr. of Genoa, built in 1543. Graziani, in 1952 opened a public subscrip- In 1737 the dynasty of tion that in short time reached two million Lorena started to rule Tus- lira, a lot of money for the time, for the re- cany. The first ruler was construction of the lighthouse. Additional the Grand Duke Francesco money was found, and work started in June I, who enlarged the har- 1954, ten years after the destruction. The job bor, which attracted ships was carried out by the Ghezzani company from everywhere and be- which, with great faith in what they were do- came more and more a ing, followed the original plans of 1303 of strong trading center both , employing 90 percent of for goods in transit and in the original material and, when missing, us- storage, owing to the port’s ing new stones taken from the original cave security, provided in part by of San Giuliano. In two years the tower was its lighthouse. ready, and the new lighthouse of Livorno had This dynasty ruled for the same appearance as the old one. more than a century, dur- It was a miracle. On September 16, 1956, ing which the town was there was the great opening of the lighthouse occupied by French, Span- in the presence of the whole population, as ish, and English troops, but well as higher Italian officials, among them A sketch of the original lighthouse at Livorno, dating from the survived anyway. the president of the Italian Republic, who time it was built.

The Keeper’s Log—Spring 2010 International Lighthouse—Spring 2010 Reprinted from the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s The Keeper’s Log ‑ Spring 2010 Now, on a table, are on display ancient tools Arriving at the end of the stairs it was pos- used by the keepers in past times. sible to reach the second terrace and then, Going up the stairs I saw small openings, also after a few metal steps, the lantern room cut into the thickness of the wall, which allowed a where the view was unbelievable, from the view of the sea on one side and the country on the sea to the whole town. I was thinking back The plan of the lighthouse of Livorno as it other side. In the space in the middle of the circular to the ancient times, when at the foot of the was in 1841. From The Book of the Italian stairs, I could see the ancient weights of the clock- tower sailing ships of every kind were arriv- Lighthouses 1876. work system that in the past were used, attached to ing and leaving with their loads of precious two chains, to manually rotate the lantern. Every goods. The keeper showed me the page of then was Mr. . A plaque few hours the keeper had to wind the system, as an ancient log from the date of October was placed at the foot of the tower to remem- the lantern could not be stopped. It works now 5, 1818, recording something strange that ber the event, and a few years later the light- with a rotating optic that flashes four times every was seen from the tower: a vessel was burn- house became a national monument. This 20 seconds. Its beam can be seen for 24 miles. ing outside the harbor. Men were sent in a majestic and elegant tower was back to life to stand, we hope, for some more centuries. My visit to the lighthouse was for me a great and exciting event. After special permission from the Navy—in Italy all the lighthouses are managed by the Navy and are considered military precincts and not open to the pub- lic—I entered the small door on top of which still stands the Medicean lily that was replaced in its original place. The wooden ladder does not exist anymore, and I started to climb the 224 stairs to reach the 11th floor at the top to- gether with an old keeper, no longer at work, who was helping me. The tower lies at latitude 43°32’36”North and longitude 10°17’43” East and is 52 meters high, including the lantern, above sea level. The spiral stone staircase, 70 cen- timeters wide, is cut into the thickness of the internal wall and reaches first the infe- rior fortified round terrace, 80 centimeters wide, on top of which stands the second, smaller tower. At this floor there was the big room for the keepers and the storage. Diagram of the lighthouse as it is today. The Architecture of Italian Lighthouses by Cristiana Bartolomei.

The Keeper’s Log—Spring 2010

Reprinted from the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s The Keeper’s Log ‑ Spring 2010 boat by the port authorities to give help, but when they arrived they found a steamer coming from , whose name was Ferdi- nando I, that ejected from its funnel a lot of smoke. It was the first steam boat ever seen. The day of my visit was a lovely and clear day, but the keeper told me that it was im- possible to stand on top of the lighthouse when the winds blow so strongly that the tower swings and the men cannot stand. Also the mist arising from the rough sea sometimes reached the top, covering the lantern from view. Another interesting historic event he told me was that in 1853 the Duke Leopoldo II threw into the sea, from the top of the tower, the first stones that were to be used for the The first round terrace of the lighthouse of Livorno. Fari d’Italia by Enrica Simonetti. construction of a new breakwater, and this was followed by a salute of 101 cannon shots. and the buildings, and all around it there are Listening to all these ancient stories, I cranes that unfortunately deform its silhouette, Annamaria Mariotti has written many had forgotten everything and it was now but the lighthouse of Livorno is still impressive books in Italian on sea adventures, light- time to leave with great regret, because it even if it can only be seen from the sea. houses, pirates, fishing, etc. Her only Eng- was my first and last visit to this ancient When I leave this harbor at night, on lish book is The World’s Greatest Lighthouses, monument, reborn after so many centuries. board a ferry, which I do every summer, I which is available in the U.S. Now Livorno is still an important harbor, can see the lighthouse flashing its light over with big commercial ships, oil tankers, ferries, the sea and think that nothing wrong can and cruise ships arriving and leaving from it. happen to you as long as you can see its The tower has been obscured by the dry docks beam over the . If you have any questions or would like to contact the author, please email Annamaria “Lilla” Mariotti at [email protected]

The Keeper’s Log—Spring 2010 International Lighthouse—Spring 2010

Reprinted from the U. S. Lighthouse Society’s The Keeper’s Log ‑ Spring 2010