Torre dell'Orologio

Beating the time of Venice for centuriesTorre dell'Orologio, or St Mark's Clock Tower, together with the bronze statues of the so-called Moors on top is one of the best-known symbols of Venice, and an iconic image recognised around the world. It stands over an arch above the street that leads into the Merceria, the main shopping street of the city, marking both a junction and a gap between the various architectural elements of St Mark’s Square. The spectacular square was both the seat of the political and religious power and a crowded public space, where economic activities and private stories were mixed. For more than 500 years, the tower and its large astronomical clock have beaten the time of Venice. The building was completed and the mechanism mounted by the end of the 15th century. From the archway at ground level, the vertical structure rises on a rectangular base (approximately 9 by 6 metres). The clock machinery is a sophisticated system of gear wheels located within a large cruciform metal framework at the centre of the tower.