Lighthouses of Italy: Lazio

Most of Italy (officially the Italian Republic, Repubblica Italiana in Italian) occupies a long peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, with the Adriatic and Ionian Seas on the east and the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas to the west; the country also includes the Mediterranean's two largest islands, Sicily and Sardinia, and many smaller islands. With this geography Italy has a very long coastline reckoned by geographers at about 7600 km (4722 mi). Guarding this coast are many lighthouses; the Directory lists more than 400.

Italy is divided into 20 regions (regioni), many of them well known outside the country in their own right. This page includes the lighthouses of the region of Lazio (also called Latium), the region surrounding Rome. Historically Lazio was ruled directly by the Pope as one of the Papal States. Lazio remained under papal control until it was conquered by the Kingdom of Italy in 1870.

Lazio faces southwest on the Tyrrhenian Sea, the portion of the Mediterranean Sea between the Italian Peninsula and the islands of Sardinia and Corsica.

The Italian word for a lighthouse is faro, plural fari. This name is usually reserved for the larger coastal lights; smaller beacons are called fanali. In Italian isola is an island, isolotto is an islet, secca is a shoal, cabo is a cape, punta is a point of land, baia is a bay, stretto is a strait, fiume is a river, and porto is a harbor.

Aids to navigation in Italy are operated and maintained by the Italian Navy's Servizio dei Fari e del Segnalamento Marittimo (Lighthouse and Maritime Signal Service). Lighthouse properties are naval reservations, generally fenced and closed to the public.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. EF numbers are from the Italian Navy's light list, Elenco Fari. Admiralty numbers are from volume E of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.


Capo Circeo Light, San Felice Circeo, May 2025
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

General Sources
Fari e Segnalamenti
Lighthouse information from the Italian Navy's Servizio dei Fari.
Online List of Lights - Italy - Tyrrhenian Sea - South Part and North Part
Photos by verious photographers, posted by Alexander Trabas. Many of the photos for this area are by Capt. Peter Mosselberger ("Capt. Peter").
Cyberlights Lighthouses - Italy
Photos of Italian lighthouses by Egidio Ferrighi, posted by Gary Richardson and Anna Klein.
Lighthouses in Italy
Aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Wikimedia: Lighthouses in Italy
Photos by various photographers available in Wikimedia Commons.
World of Lighthouses - Italy
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Phares d"Europe
A large, well known site, with many photos, maintained by Alain Guyomard and Robert Carceller.
Italienische Leuchttürme auf Historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart information for central Italy.

Punta dello Stendardo Light, Gaeta, March 2025
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Latina Province Lighthouses

Pontine Islands Lighthouses
The Pontine Islands (Isole Ponziane) are a group of small islands of volcanic origin located in the Tyrrhennian Sea south of Gaeta. Although the islands were historically ruled by the Kingdom of Naples they are now attached to the region of Lazio as part of Latina Province. The two larger islands, Ponza and Ventotene, are popular resorts accessible by passenger ferry from Formia, Terracina, and Anzio.

*
Ventotene (Porto Nicolo) (2)
1891 (station established 1869). Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white flash every 5 s. 16 m (52 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery attached to a 1-story coast guard station. Lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is gray metallic. rabas has Capt. Peter's 2022 photo (seen at right), Caterina Cossu has a lovely 2018 photo, a 2011 closeup photo is available, T Marinas.com has aerial photos, Matyas Rathonyi has a street view, and Google has a satellite view of the station. Located on the waterfront of Porto Nicolo, where it greets travelers arriving on the island of Ventotene. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS ITA-172; EF-2286; Admiralty E1592; NGA 9320.
Isola di Ponza (Scoglio Ravia)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); green flash every 3 s. 6 m (20 ft) post light centered on a square stone tower adjoining a large 1-story building. Lighthouse painted green, adjoining building white. Trabas has Capt. Peter's closeup 2022 photo, a 2022 distant view is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located atop a large rock on the north side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponza. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. EF-2271; Admiralty E1582; NGA 9240.
* Porto di Ponza (2)
1918 (station established 1867). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); yellow flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story waterfront restaurant. Lighthouse painted orange with white trim; lantern dome is gray metallic. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2022 photo, a closeup and a second closeup are available, Gennaro Buonecore has a photo of the lighthouse in action, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This lighthouse greets travelers arriving on the island of Ponza by ferry. The original light was described as a red tower, 10 m (34 ft) tall. Located at the end of the Molo Musco, the short breakwater mole protecting the harbor of Porto di Ponza, on the southeastern coast of the island. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Il Faro Café. ARLHS ITA-240; EF-2274; Admiralty E1584; NGA 9232.

Porto Nicolo Light, Ventotene, May 2022
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission
* Rotonda della Madonna (2)
1959 (station established 1858). Active; focal plane 61 m (200 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 18 m (59 ft) round, bluntly conical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern dome is gray metallic. Adjoining 3-story keeper's house. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2022 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This lighthouse is only a short (albeit steep) hike from the Porto di Ponza waterfront. Located on a very steep promontory on the island of Ponza, about 600 m (3/8 mi) east of Porto di Ponza. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ITA-215; EF-2266; Admiralty E1580; NGA 9228.
* Punta della Guardia (2)
1886 (station established 1866). Active; focal plane 112 m (367 ft); three white flashes every 30 s. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with two horizontal red bands on the keeper's house; lantern dome is gray metallic. Marcello Altieri's 2024 photo is at right, Giancarlo Giuppone Trentino has a fine photo, Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2022 photo, Roberto Miliani has a photo, Francesco Bruno has a view from the sea, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The original light was much higher, at a focal plane of 226 m (741 ft). Located at the south end of the Isola di Ponza, this lighthouse can be reached by a hike of about 3 km (2 mi) one way. The scenery is spectacular: Huelse's postcard view shows how the lighthouse is perched atop a giant rock connected to the rest of the island by a very narrow isthmus. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ITA-277; EF-2278; Admiralty E1588; NGA 9224.
Zannone (Capo Negro)
1858. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) octagonal masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story keeper's house. Entire lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is gray metallic. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2022 photo, Guyomard and Carceller have a view from the sea by Laure Chappuis, and Bing has a satellite view. Zannone is a small, uninhabited island about 25 km (15 mi) due south of Cabo Cercio. The island is part of Circeo National Park. Daytime visits to the island are permitted, but camping overnight is prohibited. Located on the northern point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Parco Nazionale del Circeo. ARLHS ITA-210; EF-2262; Admiralty E1577; NGA 9216.

Punta della Guardia Light, Ponza, August 2024
Google Maps photo by Marcello Altieri

Gaeta Lighthouses
Gaeta is a small port of about 25,000 residents. NATO's Mediterranean naval headquarters is located nearby at Monte Orlando.

* Punta dello Stendardo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two red flashes every 10 s. 6 m (20 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery mounted atop a 2-story concrete building. Tower painted bright red; lantern dome is silvery metallic; the building is unpainted gray concrete. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2025 photo (also seen at the top of this page) and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of a pier at the extreme tip of the cape east of Gaeta. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ITA-248; EF-2320; Admiralty E1560; NGA 9268.
* Monte Orlando (Gaeta) (3)
1954 (station established 1854). Active; focal plane 185 m (607 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse is painted white, but with unpainted cinder bricks giving the appearance of gray and white vertical stripes. The lantern is gray metallic. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2025 photo (also seen at right), Bruno Montemurro has a 2021 photo, a 2009 photo is available, Huelse has a postcard view, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The original light was placed on the tower of the Cistercian convent of Santa Catherina. The second light, built in 1888, was a 26 m (85 ft) tower. Both the earlier lights were much lower on the slope. Located on the cape in the Parco Urbano Monte Orlando in Gaeta, about 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Naples. May not be accessible by road, but walking paths in the park reach the lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ITA-105; EF-2315; Admiralty E1558; NGA 9264.

Terracina Lighthouse
* Porto Badino
Date unknown. Inactive for many years. 6 m (20 ft) round stone tower with a ruined square lantern mounted atop the Torre Badino, a seventeenth century fortified stone tower. Luigi Strano has a photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The Torre Badino was built around 1610 under the orders of Pope Paul V. Today the tower is owned by a yacht club. We need information on the lighthouse; it is missing from the 1879 and 1904 light lists and was probably active for only a brief period in the early 1900s. Located on a hill on the west side of the mouth of the river Portatore in Terracina. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Torre Badino Yachting Club.

Monte Orlando Light, Gaeta, May 2025
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

San Felice Circeo Lighthouse
* Capo Circeo (Monte Circeo)
1866. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white flash every 5 s. 18 m (59 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the seaward end of a 2-story masonry keeper's house. Entire lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is gray metallic. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2025 photo (seen at the top of this page), Gite Insolite has a 2022 photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Like the Anzio lighthouse, this light was ordered by Pope Leo IX before the annexation of the Papal States into Italy. Located on the point of the cape in San Felice Circeo, a town about 55 km (34 mi) southeast of Anzio. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS ITA-009; EF-2258; Admiralty E1542; NGA 9244.
Foce Verde Pierhead
Date unknown (around 1962?). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two yellow flashes every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) post light adjacent to a concrete pierhead building. Post painted yellow, building unpainted. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo. The pier was built for the Foce Verde nuclear power plant, which was deactivated in 1986. According to Silvio Dell'Acqua, who visited the area in 2010, the pier was used for a number of years by the Italian Air Force for rescue training. Dell'Acqua also reports that local residents told him the pier is scheduled to be demolished in the near future. Sure enough, Google's satellite view shows that most of the pier was removed, but its head with the light was preserved. Located at the end of the pier at Foce Verde. Admiralty E1541.6; NGA 9212.

Metropolitan City of Rome Lighthouses

Nettuno and Anzio Lighthouse
Anzio is a fishing port and ferry terminal about 50 km (30 mi) south of Rome. During World War II was the scene of a long and bloody battle in the winter and spring of 1944. The city has a population of about 60,000. Nettuno is a town of about 50,000 residents on the east side of Anzio.
 

Nettuno East Outer Mole
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green light, 1.5 s on, 3.5 s off. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower painted green. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2019 photo, Fabio Bartolucci has a 2008 photo showing the tower painted with narrow green and white horizontal bands, Pietro Bergamaschini has a 2014 photo showing the tower solid green but with a lantern since removed, Giorgio Bruschini has a 2016 street view of the two mole lights, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the east outer breakwater of the yacht harbor of Nettuno. Accessible only by boat (the pier is not walkable). Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Marina di Nettuno. Admiralty E1541.2; NGA 9208.
Nettuno West Outer Mole
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red light, 1.5 s on, 3.5 s off. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower painted red, adjoining a 1-story semicircular equipment shelter. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2019 photo, Eduard Peter has a 2009 photo showing the tower painted with narrow red and white horizontal bands and with a lantern, Pietro Bergamaschini has a 2014 photo showing the tower solid red but with the lantern, Giorgio Bruschini has a 2016 street view of the two mole lights, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the west outer breakwater of the yacht harbor of Nettuno. Accessible only by boat (the pier is not walkable). Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Marina di Nettuno. Admiralty E1541.3; NGA 9204.
* Anzio (Capo d'Anzio)
1870. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 21 m (69 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story masonry keeper's house. Entire lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is gray metallic. Mseen at right, Trabas has the 2025 photo seen at right, Kazik Zrazik has a 2022 photo, Marina Kuzovleva has a 2019 photo, Wikimedia has a 2008 photo, R. Damiano has a good 2006 photo, Lighthouse Digest has Michel Forand's historic postcard view, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Historically the lighthouse and keeper's house were painted with black and white horizontal bands, as seen in Huelse's postcard view. Ordered by Pope Leo IX, this lighthouse was completed in 1866 but remained unlit until the Papal States were joined to Italy in 1870. The lighthouse escaped destruction in World War II because the surprise Allied invasion of Anzio in January 1944 chased German troops before they could dynamite the tower. Located on the point of the cape in Anzio, a town 53 km (33 mi) south of Rome. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS ITA-012; EF-2246; Admiralty E1538; NGA 9192.

Capo d'Anzio Light, Anzio, March 2025
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Ostia and Fiumicino (Rome Area) Lighthouses
Ostia and Fiumicino are comunes of the Metropolitan City of Rome facing the Tyrrhenian Sea. Ostia is on the east side of the mouth of the Tiber River and Fiumicino is on the west side. Ostia was the port of ancient Rome and Fiumicino is the modern port.
 

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Lido di Ostia East Mole
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green flash every 4 s. 5 m (17 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted green. Trabas has a 2025 closeup, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This light and the next guard the entrance to a modern marina built at Ostia to accommodate tourists visiting Rome. Located at the end of the east breakwater of the marina; accessible by walking the mole. Site open, tower closed. Operator/site manager: Porto Turistico di Roma. Admiralty E1530.
* Lido di Ostia West Mole
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 4 s. 5 m (17 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted red. Trabas has a 2025 closeup, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the west breakwater of the marina; accessible by walking the mole. Site open, tower closed. Operator/site manager: Porto Turistico di Roma. Admiralty E1531.
* Fiumicino (Fiumare Grande, Torre San Michele) (2?)
1860. Inactive since about 1910. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal stone fortress crowned by an octagonal stone tower. Aldo Ferretto has a 2021 photo, a 2017 closeup photo is available, Huelse has a postcard view of the tower while it was an active lighthouse, and Google has a street view and a good satellite view. The fortress was built in the mid 16th century by Popes Pius IV and Pius V. Located above the south bank of the Tiber on the Via degli Atlantici, about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) east of the 1946 lighthouse (next entry). Site open, tower status unknown.
* Fiumicino (Fiumare) (5?)
1946 (station established 1825). Inactive since 1971. Approx. 17 m (56 ft) octagonal masonry tower attached to a 2-story keeper's house. The lighthouse was painted with red and white horizontal bands, although the colors have faded now. Stefano Sauli's 2022 photo is at right, another photo is available, Huelse has a postcard view, and Google has a street view and a good satellite view. Huelse also has a postcard view of the 60 m (197 ft) tall lighthouse that stood at Fiumicino before World War II. It was destroyed by retreating German troops, and the present lighthouse was built on its foundations. The building was abandoned in 1971 because of structural problems and because the modern port entrance has been moved about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) north. It is probably endangered. Located at the end of the Via del Faro, on the north side of the mouth of the Tiber River. Site closed, but the lighthouse can be viewed from outside the fence. . ARLHS ITA-202.

Fiumicino Light, Fiumicino, January 2022
Google Maps photo by Stefano Sauli

Civitavecchia Lighthouses
Civitavecchia ("Ancient Town") is a seaport of about 55,000 residents at the northwestern corner of the Metropolitan City of Rome. It is indeed ancient, having been founded by the Emperor Trajan in the second century CE.

* Civitavecchia (3) (Monte Cappuccini)
1951. Active; focal plane 125 m (410 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) U-shaped tapered masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising through the center of a curved 2-story keeper's house. The tower is unpainted gray stone; lantern gray metallic; house painted white. Massimo Ceci's 2023 photo is at right, Trabas has a 2015 photo by Capt. Peter, Gianluca Galizia has a 2018 photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This lighthouse replaced the historic Civitavecchia lighthouse after World War II. Located on the Via Francesco Chiricozzi, atop a hill about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) west of the harbor of Civitavecchia. Site closed, but the lighthouse can be viewed from outside the fence. . ARLHS ITA-322; EF-2188; Admiralty E1508; NGA 9132.
* Civitavecchia (Fortino di San Pietro) (2)
1616. Inactive since about 1940. Once-tall round stone tower in ruins; about 13 m (43 ft) of the tower remain. Tomasz Telma has a 2019 photo, Luis Payo has a drone view, and Google has a satellite view. In 108 CE the Roman Emperor Trajan built two lighthouses at Centumcellae, now Civitavecchia, a city about 50 km (30 mi) northwest of Rome. In 1616 Pope Pius V built a new lighthouse on the foundation of one of the Roman towers, and in 1860 Pope Leo IX had a second-order lantern installed on the tower. Huelse has a postcard view of the lighthouse, which was 32 m (105 ft) tall. The lighthouse was destroyed during World War II. After the war, a 20 m (66 ft) round stone tower was built as a historic landmark on the modern breakwater, about 600 m (3/8 mi) northwest of the old lighthouse. Google has a satellite view of that tower. However, this "replica" does not resemble the original and is at best a faux lighthouse. The ruins of the historic lighthouse are located on a short abandoned mole on the old waterfront of Civitavecchia. Site open, tower closed.

Monte Cappuccini) Light, Civitavecchia, ctober 2023
Google Maps photo by Massimo Ceci

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Tuscany | South: Campania

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Posted June 16, 2006. Checked and revised April 14, 2025. Lighthouses: 20. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.