Annamaria Mariotti was born in Camogli, in northern Italy, and she still lives and works there. She is the author of many books, articles, and stories related to the sea. Her passion for lighthouses began with the Capo Sandalo Lighthouse on the Italian island of San Pietro and with the Lighthouse of Genoa. She’s visited many lighthouses in Italy, on the Atlantic coast of the United States, in Canada, and in the Caribbean.



Annamaria Mariotti inside the Lanterna di Genoa



Her lighthouse-related books include: Tales of lighthouses and other sea stories, The evolution of lighthouses from the origins to the Kingdom of Italy, and The Lighthouses of Tuscany. Most of her writing has been in Italian, but in 2005 she published The World’s Greatest Lighthouses in English, as well as in other languages. The World’s Greatest Lighthouses, which was reprinted in 2011 and 2018, features photographs of the most picturesque lighthouses in the world along with text that describes each structure's location, architecture, construction, history, technology, and stories of lighthouse keepers.



In 2006, the General Command of the Harbor Offices, Coast Guard, and the Mediaset Group awarded her the NAVIGARE INFORMATI Award “For her constant commitment to the dissemination of maritime culture in our country.” She’s also the founder and former president of an Italian lighthouse organization, and she’s lectured frequently in Italy and the United States.







Light Hearted host Jeremy D'Entremont with Annamaria Mariotti in 2010 at Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse in Maine