Far de Porto Pí  - Palma de Mallorca, Spain

This image was taken on 29 April 2009 as Queen Victoria entered the harbour at Palma de Mallorca.   Far de Porto Pí is located in the naval area of the port at the western end of the harbour. It is, allegedly, the third oldest working lighthouse in the world, and is certainly one of the oldest in the Mediterranean. A station was established on the site as early as the thirteenth century. The present light dates from 1617, although parts of the tower are from the 14th century. The masonry tower is in three sections, with a lantern and three galleries. The lowest section consists of a 69 foot high, square, mediaeval signal tower with castellated top, built in the 14th century. On top of the signal tower is a 56 foot section, the lower part of which is square, the upper part octagonal. On top of this section is the lantern itself. Despite its great antiquity there were plans to demolish the tower in the 1950s to make way for development of the port.  Fortunately, common sense seems to have prevailed in the end, and the lighthouse was declared a national historic monument in 1983.