Its real name is San Benigno Torre Nord though known to everyone as the Giant Pencil.
Born in 1992 from the project of the US Skidmore studio, Owings and Merril and by Mario Lanata and Andrea Messina, the skyscraper in the San Teodoro area reminds of a large pencil: sharpened in the upper part, the octagonal shaped edifice was inspired by the shape of the bell tower of San Donato church.
With all of its 109 metres, the Giant Pencil overlooks the Lantern and is visible from the port and the western part of the city. A bit further away, in Savona, there is a palace with a similar shape known as the Small Pencil in remembrance of its Genovese big brother.
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