Campanile di San Marco (Bell Tower)

The 1000 years old brick bell tower is 325 feet tall, excluding the angel. It suddenly collapsed in 1902, crushing with it Jacopo Sansovino’s 16th century marble loggia at the foundation. The loggia was immediately restored, and the tower was rebuilt according to the old plan and was opened for public in 1912. In the 15th century this tower was used to punish clerics found guilty of immoral behavior. They were suspended in wooden cages from the tower and were either left to starve or forced to survive on bread and water for as long as a year. On a clear day the view from the tower includes the Lido, the lagoon, and the mainland as far as the Alps. Strangely none of the innumerable canals of Venice are visible.
Address: Piazza San Marco, Venice
Phone: 041/5224064
Location: Piazza San Marco
Cost: EUR 6
Open: Apr.-June, daily 9:30-5; July-Sept., daily 9:45-8; Oct.-Mar., daily 9:45-4. Last entry ½ hr before closing