Vittoria Light ( it, Faro della Vittoria) also known as the Victory Lighthouse, is an active

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, serving the

Gulf of Trieste The Gulf of Trieste ( it, Golfo di Trieste, sl, Tržaški zaliv, hr, Tršćanski zaljev, german: Golf von Triest) is a very shallow bay of the Adriatic Sea, in the extreme northern part of the Adriatic Sea. It is part of the Gulf of Venice and ...

. It is located on the hill of Gretta (Poggio di Gretta), off the Strada del Friuli. At a height of it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world.

History

The idea to raise a monument in the vicinity arose during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, following capture of

Kobarid Kobarid (; it, Caporetto, fur, Cjaurêt, german: Karfreit) is a settlement in Slovenia, the administrative centre of the Municipality of Kobarid. Kobarid is known for the 1917 Battle of Caporetto, where the Italian retreat was documented by Erne ...

in the

Battles of the Isonzo The Battles of the Isonzo (known as the Isonzo Front by historians, sl, soška fronta) were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-day Slovenia, and the remaind ...

and following the

Battle of the Piave River The Second Battle of the Piave River, fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory for the Kingdom of Italy, Italian Army against the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. Though the battle proved to be a de ...

. Originally the lighthouse was to rise on the coast of

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

, near

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...

. However, the location eventually chosen was the hill of Gretta, due to ideal height (60m above sea-level) and the solid foundations of the former

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n fort Kressich, built between 1854 and 1857. The lighthouse plans took shape following the end of the war, in December 1918. It was designed by Triestine architect

Arduino Berlam Arduino Berlam (1880–1946) was an Italian architect who took over the work of his father, Ruggero Berlam. Born in Trieste, from 1905 he actively contributed to his father's works, creating such a harmony that experts now find it difficult to d ...

. One of the reasons for building such a high monument was the desire to build a victory monument higher than the

Berlin Victory Column The Victory Column (german: , from ''Sieg'' ‘victory’ + '' Säule'' ‘column’) is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Second Schleswig War, by the time it was i ...

, which was high at the time. Work started only in 1923 and ended on May 24, 1927, with the inauguration in the presence of King

Vittorio Emanuele III Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and ...

. The structure celebrates the Italian victory and commemorates the fallen of the first world war, as testified by the inscription "SPLENDI E RICORDA I CADUTI SUL MARE MCMXV-MCMXVIII" (shine and remind of the fallen on sea 1915–1918). In 1979 the lighthouse was closed for restoration for seven years, and was reopened to the public May 18, 1986.

Structure

The large base of the lighthouse includes the earthwork of the Austrian fort. The bottom of structure is covered by stone from

Carso The Karst Plateau or the Karst region ( sl, Kras, it, Carso), also locally called Karst, is a karst plateau region extending across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills sur ...

(specifically from Gabrie) and the top is covered by stone from

(specifically from

Vrsar Vrsar ( vec, Orsera) is a small seaside town and a municipality in Istria, Croatia located 9 kilometers south of Poreč. The historical center is located on top of a hill, including the St. Martin parish church and the 40-meter high bell tower. I ...

). It weighs about and construction involved the use of of stone (or ), of concrete and of iron. Above the column is a

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

and a

crow's nest A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by ...

, in which the bronze crystal cage of the lantern is inserted. The cage is topped by a copper dome with a scale-like motif, on top of which is the statue of winged

victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...

by sculptor Giovanni Mayer, made of embossed copper and weighing about . A statue of a seaman, also by sculptor Giovanni Mayer, adorns the front of the lighthouse, made from of stone from Vrsar, under which is the

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...

of the destroyer Audace, the first Italian ship to enter the port of Trieste on November 3, 1918, is attached. Two projectiles of the Austrian battleship

SMS Viribus Unitis SMS ''Viribus Unitis'' was an Austro-Hungarian dreadnought battleship, the first of the . "''Viribus Unitis''", meaning "With United Forces", was the personal motto of Emperor Franz Joseph I. ''Viribus Unitis'' was ordered by the Austro-Hun ...

are placed on both sides of the lighthouse entry. The light itself is an electrical light since its first lighting. The current light is a 1000 watt

halogen The halogens () are a group in the periodic table consisting of five or six chemically related elements: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), astatine (At), and tennessine (Ts). In the modern IUPAC nomenclature, this group is ...

bulb.

Visiting

The site of the lighthouse is open to the public. The lighthouse itself is open Saturday and Sunday 3 pm to 7 pm, from the last Saturday of April to the second Sunday of October. Reaching the top requires climbing 285 steps.

Notes

References

* *

External links