THE BELL TOWER OF ST. MARK’S SQUARE

Where: Piazza San Marco

When: October and November 9.00 – 19.00, from November to April 9.30 – 15.45, from April to to June 9.00 – 19.00, from July to September 9.00 – 21.00. Ticket Office closing one hour before.

Prices:  € 8 

                  € 4 Reduced

Tips: Enjoy the view on a clear sky day or at sunset.

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Nestled in the heart of St. Mark’s Square, the the bell tower “il Campanile”,
usually called “El Paron de casa”, i.e. the house owner, may go unnoticed. Once you know its history, this won’t happen.

Almost 100 meter tall, it is one of the highest bell towers in Italy. Its simplicity makes it so charming. The red bricks are interrupted by the whiteness of the bell chamber. At the top the gold statue of Archangel Gabriel.

The original building was a lighthouse of the IXth century, while the actual Campanile is the result of subsequent works.

Curiosities:

In 1609, the famous scientist Galileo Galilei tested his telescope from the Campanile.

In 1902 the Campanile collapsed. It took ten years to rebuild it. The motto for the reconstruction was  “com’era, dov’era” meaning “where it was, as it was”.

In 1997, a group of people supporting the Independence of Venice, militarily occupied the Campanile with a sort of tank.

A very common figure of speech in Venice is “ombra”, literally “shadow”, which means a glass of wine. This derives from the many pubs that were placed around the Campanile. Instead of saying “let’s go to have a glass of wine in the shadows of the Campanile”, it became “let’s have a shadow”. It is still very used and common in Venice and Veneto.

Every year, in February, during the Carnival, the “Maria” of the year, a young woman, descends from the top of the Campanile to the ground.

We know that it may be difficult to look at it in a place full of beauty like St. Mark’s Square, but you are staring a real piece of Venetian history; we think it is worthwhile. If you want, you can also go to the top.

Text: Dario

Pics: Davide

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