03/08/2026
The day Venice fell, and got back up. 🗼
July 14, 1902. At 9:53 on a Monday morning, the bell tower of St. Mark's Square, over a thousand years of history, 98 meters of brick, collapsed in on itself in a matter of seconds. No victims. Minimal damage and the Basilica completely untouched. The golden angel that crowned its spire landed lying down in front of the Basilica's door, as if making one last bow to the city's patron saint. Engineers were blamed immediately, for monitoring a crumbling medieval structure and responding with a fence.
That same evening, the City Council voted unanimously: Venice does not abandon its heritage. Dov'era e com'era, where it was, as it was, became one of the most famous phrases in Venetian history. The first stone was laid on April 25, 1903. Ten years later, on the feast of Saint Mark, 1912, the parón de casa returned to its place, identical to before, but stronger than before. The bell tower you see today is that one. 🏛️✨
