Punta Filetto lighthouse

Punta Filetto lighthouse stands on Isola Santa Maria in the Maddalena archipelago off northern Sardinia. The small island lies within the municipality of La Maddalena on the Tyrrhenian Sea. A white masonry tower rises 12 metres above a two-storey keeper’s house, topped by a grey lantern dome. The light sits 17 metres above sea level and flashes four times every twenty seconds, visible for up to twelve kilometres. It was built in 1913 and automated in 1972, then powered by solar panels. The lighthouse once housed a school for children of keepers and shepherds during the 1956–57 school year. Lessons began on 9 January 1957 under teacher Masia after repeated requests from island families. When keepers left in 1972 the building fell into ruin until the national park restored it in 2006. The structure still shows signs of earlier scaffolding visible in photographs from 2009. Visitors reach the lighthouse by boat to Isola Santa Maria, part of a protected archipelago. The white buildings stand out against the surrounding granite coast and clear waters. The lantern’s flashes guide small craft through nearby channels. The island’s quiet shores and low vegetation contrast with the tower’s sharp lines.