Campanile di San Marco

The Campanile di San Marco is the bell tower of Saint Mark's Basilica, standing free in the corner of Piazza San Marco rather than attached to the church it serves. At just under 100 metres it is the tallest structure in the city, and the only one visible from essentially anywhere in the lagoon.

It is a fluted brick shaft carrying a loggia and a belfry of five bells, topped by a cube bearing the Lion of St Mark and a female figure representing Venice, and finished with a gilded weathervane in the form of the Archangel Gabriel.

The tower began as a watchtower in the 9th century and took its present form in the 16th. Repeated lightning strikes damaged it until a conductor was fitted in 1776; it collapsed entirely in 1902 and was rebuilt by 1912 -- see History below. Its silhouette has been copied widely since, from towers in Slovenia and Croatia to full-scale replicas at the Venetian in Las Vegas and Epcot's Italy pavilion.

Piazza San Marco is prone to acqua alta flooding, which can affect access to the Campanile's base during the highest tides, typically in autumn and winter. The tower's 1902 collapse is a reminder that it remains a maintained structure rather than an untouched original -- current access is limited to the reinforced, reconstructed building.

The Campanile stands in the corner of Piazza San Marco nearest the lagoon, separate from the basilica itself.

• Access: a lift carries visitors to the belfry level; there is no stair option for the public.
• Tickets: purchased on-site or online in advance, which can reduce time spent in the queue during busy periods.
• Timing: the bells still sound on the hour, audible from directly beneath the tower and across much of the piazza.