Giraglia

Giraglia Lighthouse
Cape Corse

Giraglia Lighthouse
Giraglia Lighthouse Cape Corse Corsica
Location	Giraglia Island, Corse France
Coordinates	43°01′36″N 9°24′20″E / 43.026804°N 9.405606°E / 43.026804; 9.405606
Year first constructed	1848
Construction	stone tower
Tower shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern centered on a keeper’s house
Markings / pattern	white tower, black balcony and lantern
Height	25.80 metres (84.6 ft)
Focal height	85.20 metres (279.5 ft)
Range	26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 5s.
Admiralty number	E0852
NGA number	8100
ARLHS number	E0852

Giraglia is a French island at the northern tip of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea, known for its powerful lighthouse and for the Torra di Giraglia, a Genoese tower, both of which are official historical monuments of France.

The island is part of the commune of Ersa, but there are no settlements on the island. The closest settlements are Tollare, Ersa commune, and Barcaggio, Rogliano commune, on the main island of Corsica.

The Giraglia Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located on Giraglia Island, about one mile off Barcaggio on the northernmost tip of Cape Corse. The lighthouse was first constructed in 1573 by the Genovese and has been rebuilt several times since. The current lighthouse was approved in 1838 based on a proposal by Léonce Reynaud and was inaugurated on January 1, 1848. It consists of a cylindrical tower 25.80 metres (84.6 ft) high, with balcony and lantern, rising from the centre of the keeper’s house. Initially the light was a flash every 30 seconds, but since 1904 it is a white flash every 5 seconds. The lighthouse is fully automated and controlled by the Marine nationale in Bastia.

Construction of this tower began in April 1584. It was one of a series of coastal defences constructed by the Republic of Genoa between 1530 and 1620 to protect against attacks by Barbary pirates.

The Giraglia Rolex Cup, an annual keelboat regatta, was named for the island. The race starts in St. Tropez, France, passes through the Îles d'Hyères off the French coast near Toulon, then around Giraglia, and finishes off in Genoa, Italy, a total distance of 243 nautical miles (450 km; 280 mi).