The Campanile

Ninety-nine metres, and not as old as it looks: the original stood from the twelfth century until 10 July 1902, when it collapsed into the square in a heap without killing anyone except the caretaker’s cat. The city rebuilt it dov’era e com’era — where it was and as it was — and finished in 1912.

Galileo demonstrated his telescope from the top of the original to the Doge in 1609, pointing out that being able to see ships two hours before they arrived was worth money to a trading republic. He got his salary doubled.

What it costs

Ticketed, for a lift to the belfry. It is not covered by the museums combined ticket.

There is a lift, so it is one of the few high viewpoints in the city that does not involve stairs — which matters here, because almost everything else does.

When to go

The queue is the whole experience and it is outdoors. Go at opening, or accept an hour.

The bells ring on the hour, from very close range.

It closes in high wind, and sometimes at short notice, which is worth knowing before you build a sunset around it.

Getting there

It is in the corner of Piazza San Marco. You cannot miss it.

If you only have an hour

⚠️ If the queue is long, go to San Giorgio Maggiore instead. Its campanile has a lift, costs about the same, has almost no queue, and gives you the better view — because it includes the campanile of San Marco, which the view from San Marco cannot. One vaporetto stop from San Zaccaria.

What people get wrong

Expecting to see the canals. You cannot: from up here Venice is a solid field of terracotta roofs with no water visible at all, which is a genuinely surprising sight and not the one most people are queuing for.

And going up at midday. The light is flat, the haze is worst, and the queue is longest — the hour after opening gives you all three the other way round.