ST. MARK'S, Bell Tower

The monumental bell tower stands tall in the square's south-east corner. It is a square brick shaft that's twelve meters per side, and is crowned at the top by a belfry in white Istrian stone, with a balcony and a pyramidal spire, totaling nearly one hundred meters tall. The bronze statue that you can see at the top is of Archangel Gabriel.

Erected for the first time more than a thousand years ago, it has been repeatedly restored and modified until it assumed its present appearance at the beginning of the 1500s. I suggest using it as a reference point, because it's visible from far away when looking at the flat landscape of the lagoon; perhaps this is why the Venetians call it "the landlord".

High as it is and with a metal sculpture on top, the poor bell was repeatedly struck by lightning, but nobody knows why the entire structure suddenly collapsed on July 14, 1902. It happened just before nine o'clock in the morning, and in a few, brief moments the entire tower collapsed on itself in a cloud of rubble and broken bricks. Tourists fled screaming, but miraculously there weren't any casualties, except, it seems, for the caretaker's cat.

In subsequent years it was rebuilt exactly as it was, and the square recovered its landlord.

At the foot of the tower on the cathedral side, you can see a façade with three large arches with marble and bronze sculptures, a terrace, and an attic: this is the Loggetta, one of the jewels of the Venetian Renaissance and a representative of the charming union of architecture and sculpture designed by Jacopo Sansovino. The inner space has a delicate Madonna and Child, as always by the great architect-sculptor. The whole thing was destroyed when the tower collapsed, and then patiently reconstructed with the original fragments.

To get to the top of the tower, you can use the elevator or test your fitness by facing the 36 flights of stairs. The award is the most beautiful view of all of Venice!

FUN FACT: if you're in Venice during Carnival, don't miss the Flight of the Angel! In the square full of people, a brave woman (usually an actress or athlete) secured by metal rings goes down a tightrope that's been fastened between the tip of the bell tower and the cathedral. At the halfway point, she showers the crowd with confetti and candy!