The Santa Maria di Leuca lighthouse

Santa Maria di Leuca lighthouse rises silently on the top of Punta Meliso, the end of Italy’s heel. It is a construction built to protect the Ionian Sea that wets the cliff on which it stands.

It is white, octagonal in shape and located a short distance from the Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae Sanctuary. It was realized in 1864 on a project by the engineer Achille Rossi and it came into operation in 1866.

It is second in Europe by size: it is 47 metres high from ground level and 102 metres high from the the sea below; besides the particular brightness of its lantern, this has made the lighthouse one of the most important landmarks within the Mediterranean Sea and for the sailors that it had led for many decades.

The site on which the lighthouse stands was occupied by a Saracen tower and it’s particularly suggestive, with its breathteaking view; you can have a wonderful view from the top of the lighthouse, too: in certain weather conditions it is possible to see Corfù Island and the outline of the Acrocerauni Mountains, a mountain chain on the border between Greece and Albania.

Tags: Culture, Territory