Piazza San Marco with the Doge's palace and the famous landmark,
the Campanile of St Mark's church (1156-1173 last restored in 1514), rebuilt in 1912

More on the Campanile

In July 1902, the north wall of the tower began to show signs of a dangerous crack that in the following days continued to grow.
Finally, on Monday, July 14, around 9:45 am, the campanile collapsed completely,
also demolishing the logetta. Remarkably, no one was killed, except for the caretaker's cat.
Local lore has it that a glass tea cup was in the belfry which survived the massive collaspe.

Because of the campanile's position, the resulting damage was relatively limited.
Apart from the logetta, only a corner of the Biblioteca Marciana was destroyed.
The piera del bando, a large porphyry column from which laws used to be read,
protected the basilica itself.

The same evening, the communal council approved over 500,000 Lire for the reconstruction of the campanile.
It was decided to rebuild the tower exactly as it was, with some internal reinforcement to prevent future collapse.
Work lasted until March 6, 1912. The new campanile was inaugurated on April 25, 1912,
on the occasion of Saint Mark's feast day, exactly 1000 years
after the foundations of the original building had allegedly been laid.