Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The lighthouse of the Giraglia is built on the island of the same name, two kilometers north of the port of Barcaggio, on the town of Ersa in Upper Corsica. Built between 1839 and 1848, it replaces an old Genoese tower dating from the 16th century. This flagship, designed by engineer Léonce Reynaud, marks the northern end of Cape Corsica, a strategic point for navigation between the Mediterranean and the Tyrrhenian Sea. It has been listed as a historic monument since April 19, 2011.

Construction began in 1839 on the foundations of a genoese tower erected between 1582 and 1584, one of the few square towers of this type in Corsica. On January 1, 1848, the lighthouse initially adopted an eclipse fire every 30 seconds, replaced in 1904 by a flashing system every five seconds. Its architecture combines a 26-metre cylindrical tower and a rectangular base in exposed stones, evoking a fortified castle.

Automatized and remotely controlled from Bastia, the lighthouse is no longer kept or open to the public. Its location on a major migratory road disturbs birds, leading to local bird studies for more than twenty years. This research, carried out in the neighbouring wetlands (mouth of Acqua Tignese, Macinaggio marsh), is part of the isolated Mediterranean Piccole programme.

External links