The project is attributed to Giovanni Pisano and master builders Rocco Entello De Spina and Bonaggiunta Ciabatti, whose names were found engraved on a stone.

[6] Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany ordered the construction of warehouses in the basement in 1584, which were later transformed into Lazzaretto di San Rocco and a shipbuilding yard.

The Fanale was rebuilt in June 1954 according to the original project with material recovered from the ruins and from the San Giuliano cave.

The light is positioned at 52 metres (171 ft) above sea level and emits four white flashes in a 20 seconds period visible up to a distance of 24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi).

The lighthouse is completely automated, as the last keeper Renzo Fiorentini[7] left, and managed by the Marina Militare with the identification code number 1896 E.F.[1]