There seems to be a shared fascination with lighthouses the world over. These austere pillars of hope and guidance, most often planted on precarious ground, seem to speak to our need to be watched over, protected, guided through life’s storms. Or maybe it’s just that they’re simply beautiful in their varied shapes, forms, and layouts. Whatever the draw, the fascination is real.

A quick history lesson tells us that burning heaps of heather and broom placed within watch towers served as the earliest Italian lighthouses for seafaring vessels. This somewhat effective but messy combination gave way during the 1300’s to true signal lamps that burned olive oil. Interestingly so, olive oil was used as fuel in Italian lighthouses until the end of the 19th century.