Regrettably I am currently on an overseas assignment and would kindly ask that if the cache goes missing or needs maintanance that a kind Geocacher please replace or update on my behalf to keep this series running.. Many thanks - CharcottMole 
I frequently pass this lighthouse on my way to Barcola and thought it would be a great place for a cache. Parking is available right by GZ.
The Victory Lighthouse, is an active lighthouse serving the Gulf of Trieste at a height of 223 feet (68 m) it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world.
HISTORY
The idea to raise a monument in the vicinity arose during World War I, following capture of Kobarid in Slovinia by Italy and the decisive and significant victory in the Battle of the Piave River fought between 15 and 23 June 1918 which was the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Originally the lighthouse was to rise on the coast of Istria, near Pula, however, the location eventually chosen was the hill of Gretta, due to ideal height (60m above sea-level) and the solid foundations of the former Austrian fort Kressich, built between 1854 and 1857. The lighthouse plans took shape following the end of the war, in December 1918. It was designed by triestine architect Arduino Berlam. One of the reasons for building such a high monument was the desire to build a victory monument higher than the Berlin Victory Column, which was 62.3 metres (204 ft) high at the time (it was razed in 1939). Work started only in 1923 and ended on May 24, 1927 with the inauguration in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele III.[1]
The structure not only celebrates the Italian victory but also commemorates the fallen of the first world war, as testified by the inscription "SPLENDI E RICORDA I CADUTI SUL MARE MCMXV-MCMXVIII" (shine and remind of the fallen on sea 1915-1918).
STRUCTURE
The base of the lighthouse includes the earthwork of an Austrian fort. It weighs about 8,000 tonnes. Above the column is a crow's nest, in which the bronze crystal cage of the lantern is inserted. The cage is topped by a statue of winged victory by sculptor Giovanni Mayer, made of embossed copper.
A statue of a seaman, also by sculptor Giovanni Mayer, adorns the front of the lighthouse, under which is the anchor of the destroyer Audace, the first Italian ship to enter the port of Trieste on November 3, 1918, Two projectiles of the Austrian battleship SMS Viribus Unitis are placed on both sides of the lighthouse entry.
The light itself is an electrical light since its first lighting. The current light is a 1000 watt halogen bulb. It has an average power of 1,250,000 candles with a range of 34 - 35 nautical miles, The optical engine completes a rotation around its axe every 45 seconds.
VISITING
The site of the lighthouse is open to the public.
