The Lighthouse of Genoa is the main lighthouse for the city's port. Besides being an important aid to night navigation in the vicinity, the tower serves as a symbol and a landmark for the City of Genoa. At 249ft it is the world's fifth tallest lighthouse and the second tallest "traditional" one, built of masonry. Since 1543 and until the construction of the lighthouse on Île Vierge in 1902, it was the tallest lighthouse in the world. Considered as a whole with the natural rock on which it stands, as it is commonly perceived and represented, its height is 383ft.
It is constructed in two square portions, each one capped by a terrace; the whole structure is crowned by a lantern from which the light is shone. Rebuilt in its current shape in 1543 replacing the former lighthouse, it is the world's third oldest lighthouse, following the Tower of Hercules in A Coruña, Spain, and Kõpu Lighthouse, on the island of Hiiumaa, Estonia.