Name and Location

The Faro del Gianicolo, also known as the Faro degli Italiani or simply the Faro al Gianicolo, is an ornamental lighthouse located atop Rome's Janiculum Hill. Its official name and dedication read: "A Roma Capitale – Gli italiani d’Argentina – MCMXI" ("To Rome the Capital – The Italians of Argentina – 1911"). It stands at an address of Piazzale del Faro, 00165 Roma RM, Italy, with coordinates 41.8947507 N, 12.4608594 E.

2. Construction and History

The Faro del Gianicolo was a gift from the Italian community in Argentina to the city of Rome in 1911, unveiled on September 19th to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Italian unification. The lighthouse was designed by neoclassical architect Manfredo Manfredi (1859–1927) and is intended as a symbolic landmark rather than a functional navigational aid.

3. Architecture and Materials

The Faro del Gianicolo features a neoclassical style inspired by ancient Roman funerary columns, with a height of 20 meters and construction materials including local travertine and marble, along with bronze lantern housing. The structure consists of a circular base with Doric columns supporting the lantern room, featuring an inscribed dedicatory plaque at ground level.

4. Light and Navigation

The lighthouse emits a continuous or intermittent white light, visible for several kilometers across Rome by night, but not officially charted for navigation. Its focal plane is approximately 80 meters above sea level, with no published flash pattern or nominal range.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

Visitors can access the Faro del Gianicolo at any hour, free of charge, via an external path from Trastevere (Via Garibaldi) or Ponte Garibaldi up the hill. Public transportation options include ATAC bus lines 115, 870, and tram line 8.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

From the Piazzale del Faro terrace, visitors enjoy sweeping panoramas over St. Peter's Basilica and Vatican City, the Tiber river's meander through Trastevere and the historic center, and rooftops of Rome's rione neighborhoods up to the Capitoline Hill.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

The lighthouse is often lit in special colors for national holidays and commemorations, and a nearby cannon fires daily at 12:00 pm – a custom established in the 19th century – to signal the hour across Rome.