Those who enjoy the experience of the emotions that can be absorbed and conveyed by historic buildings see lighthouses as stories that tell true lives, shipwrecks, heroic acts, terrible ghost stories, the wind blowing over the spiraling stairs, the noise from the stormy sea, and the rain hitting the windows.

They also serve as an excellent source of inspiration for writers, from Jules Verne's work "The Lighthouse at the End of the World" to Virginia Woolf's "To the Lighthouse" and Sergio Babaren's "The Keeper of the Lighthouse." What fate awaits lighthouses? Do they belong to an era without a present or future, in which they will simply be silent memorials?

Some will be sold to private individuals who will convert them into houses, hotels, or apartments. Others will be preserved so that the historical and human values associated with lighthouses may be passed on to future generations. Additionally, others will remain active, at least until maritime activities—recreational vessels and fishing boats—are able to rely entirely on reliable technological aids and devices.

But even when all the ships in the world are equipped with computers and satellite aids, how many will be those who will want to give up the reassuring sight of this kind giant, who watches over them and protects them from the shore?

[Excerpt from the introduction of the edition]