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 The first important site you see on the left side of the piazza San Marco when you arrive from the rear entrance portals on the square is the "CLOCK TOWER" (Torre dell' Orologio), built between 1496 and 1499 by Mauro Coducci, above the arched corridor of the Mercerie. The clock, which has a gilded and blue enamelled dial, indicates also the moon phases, the sun rotation in relation with the zodiacal signs. It gave navigators indications about tides and favourable sail conditions. When it was built, it was considered as one of the most advanced technical achievements of all times.
A legend tells us that the "Grand Council of Venice", afraid that the secret of its construction would be exported, burnt out the eyes of the architect and clock maker, Paulo Ranieri and his son Carlo….
It still shows the exact hour today, and to see the clock in full works, come and see in the Ascension period. When the clock bells the hour, three kings and an angel appear and bow in front of Virgin Mary and the Child. Downstairs, millions of tourists watch the show.
On the superior terrace you see the symbolic San Marco lion, a clock and two bronze statues called "Mori" (Mores) which move every hour, guided by an ingenious mechanism beating with a hammer on a big bronze bell. Last time I was there was no possibility to visit the terraces since renovation works are still busy (and in Italy that can take some time!!)
In front of the Clock Tower a CAMPANILE stands, fiercely pointing to the sky. Used for centuries as a beacon for boats entering the Laguna. The first tower was started in the 9th century and was finished in1173. An
 earthquake mid 16th century was the opportunity to make a drastic restoration, and a gilded angel aw placed on top to be used as a weather vane. The tower had five clocks, each one with his own role. The largest, called "Marangona", was the sign for people to go to work early in the morning. Then a clock gave lunchtime. In medieval time there was even a torture cage was appended to the tower, where criminals could pass some noisy time!
Big catastrophe, 14th of July 1902. The 98.6 meters high Campanile collapses! A pile of more than 10,00 tons was lying there, just like that. Brick and marble.......Cause? Constant small earthquakes, lightning strikes and decay. It was a miracle that the Basilica and the Library were spared but he Logetta of Sansovino got the full hit, was destroyed but carefully rebuilt, using the original building material.
In less than a year, fundaments of a new tower were laid.
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Sansovino Library |
And the tower was entirely rebuilt, eve with
four of the five bronze bells (a gift from pope Pius X). Take the elevator to get to the top and see what an English traveller once described as "the most beautiful view in the world": a fantastic panorama over the city, the islands in the Laguna and even the Alp mountains when weather permits. You will understand why Galileo Galilei used this spot to demonstrate his telescope to the doge. It's funny and curious, but from this height you cannot see the canals but only a compact mass of roofs, towers and church domes.
Look at the foot of the Campanile, a plaque shows how high the water was during the catastrophic flood of 4th November 1966 (see Acqua Alta article in my web site).
Bibliography
The Companion guide to Venice, by Hugh Honour-Venice and its lagoon, by Giulio Lorenzetti, Venice-A thousand Years of Culture and Civilisation, by Peter Lauritzen-Heures Italiennes, by Henry James (La difference 1985)-The World of Venice, by Jan Morris, Daily Life in Venice in the Time of Casanova by M. Andrieux (1972), The Architectural History of Venice by D. Howard (1980)
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