[5] However, the location eventually chosen was the Hill of Gretta, due to its ideal height — 60 metres (197 ft) above sea level — and the solid foundations of the former Austro-Hungarian fort Kressich, built there by the Austrian Empire between 1854 and 1857.

Beniamino Battigelli designed the reinforced concrete works and the entire load-bearing structure of the lighthouse; all the technical projects bear his signature and he was always present on the site to supervise the construction.

Work started in 1923 and was completed on May 24, 1927, with the dedication of the lighthouse in the presence of the King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele III.

[7] The lighthouse was constructed during the period of Fascist rule in the Kingdom of Italy, and it was designed so that its overall shape resembles that of an upside-down fasces, the symbol of Italian fascism.

A 8.6-metre-tall (28 ft) statue of a seaman, also by sculptor Giovanni Mayer, adorns the front of the lighthouse, made from 100 tonnes (98 long tons; 110 short tons) of stone from Vrsar, under which is attached the anchor of the destroyer Audace, which on November 3, 1918, became the first Italian ship to enter the port of Trieste.

[5] Until the lighthouse closed for renovation in 1979, the public could visit the structure's upper section, which houses its navigational equipment.