The first tower dates to about 1128, or 1161 by one source. The current tower was rebuilt in 1543 under Doge Andrea Centurione Pietrasanta, with support from the Bank of Saint George. The article calls the reconstruction Renaissance and names no architect.
The masonry tower is 249 feet (76 m) tall, built in two square sections, each capped by a terrace, with a lantern on top. With its rock, it reaches 367 feet (112 m). The city arms are painted on the lower stage, and the lantern is checkered red and white. A rotating Fresnel lens was installed in 1840.
It served as a prison around 1400 and was shelled in 1684. The Marina Militare operates it as the main light for the Port of Genoa. An adjacent museum opened in 2006.
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