Venice, Italy

I'd bagged my tourist shot of the Bridge of Sighs earlier in the morning from the usual vantage point on the first bridge near the water front but as it was my last morning and last early start I thought I'd wander further inland - if that's at all possible in Venice! Getting lost is a speciality of mine so I wasn't surprised to find I'd taken a wrong turning and arrived at a place I wasn't expecting to be at.

However, I think this worked in my favour. The bridge on the other side of the Sighs doesn't really improve on the view but shooting from the next one along allows the third bridge to act as a go-between for the buildings either side of the canal with the Sighs acting as a support player for once. Not quite sure I've got the symmetry right but it's certainly a different viewpoint.

Tags:   Venice Bridge of Sighs bridge arch Doge's Palace architecture buildings morning lost wander Calle de la Canonica Andy Rouse Canon EOS 5D MkIII

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Venice, Italy

The Campanile di San Marco (St Mark's Campanile) is the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica and is located in the Piazza San Marco. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city and the standout landmark as you arrive via the Grand Canal.

The tower is 98.6 metres (323 ft) tall, and stands alone in a corner of the Piazza, near the front of the basilica. It has a simple form, the bulk of which is a fluted brick square shaft, 12 metres (39 ft) wide on each side and 50 metres (160 ft) tall, above which is a loggia surrounding the belfry, housing five bells. The belfry is topped by a cube, alternate faces of which show the Lion of St. Mark and the female representation of Venice (la Giustizia: Justice). The tower is capped by a pyramidal spire, at the top of which sits a golden weathervane in the form of the archangel Gabriel. The campanile reached its present form in 1514. However, the current tower is a reconstruction of that form following a total collapse in 1902. It was rebuilt and completed in 1912.

History
The initial 9th-century construction, initiated during the reign of Pietro Tribuno and built on Roman foundations, was used as a watch tower or lighthouse for the dock, which then occupied a substantial part of the area which is now the Piazzetta. Construction was finished in the twelfth century, during the reign of Domenico Morosini. Adjoining the base of the campanile is the loggetta built by Sansovino, completed in 1549 and rebuilt in 1912 after it had been destroyed by the fall of the campanile. One of the models for the tower was the St. Mercuriale's Campanile, in Forlì.

Repeated restoration
The campanile has suffered damage by lightning on many occasions. It was severely damaged in 1388, set on fire and destroyed in 1417 and seriously damaged by a fire in 1489 that destroyed the wooden spire.
The campanile assumed its definitive shape in the sixteenth century thanks to the restorations made to repair further damage caused by the earthquake of March 1511. These works, initiated by the architect Giorgio Spavento, then executed under the direction of Bartolomeo Bon of Bergamo, added the belfry, realized in marble; the attic, on which was put the sculpture of the lion of Saint Mark and Venice; and the spire, in gold leaf. The work was completed on 6 July 1513, with the placement of the gilded wooden statue of the Archangel Gabriel in the course of a ceremony recorded by Marin Sanudo.

In the following centuries numerous other interventions were made to repair the damage from fires caused by lightning. It was damaged in 1548 and 1565. In 1653, Baldassarre Longhena took up the restorations. The campanile was damaged by lightning again in 1658. More work was done after a fire caused by a lightning strike on April 13, 1745, which caused some of the masonry to crack, and killed several people as a result of falling stonework. The campanile was damaged by lightning again in 1761 and 1762. Finally, in 1776, it was equipped with a lightning rod.
In 1820, the statue of the angel was replaced with a new one by Luigi Zandomeneghi.

The collapse of 1902
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 9:45am, the campanile collapsed completely, also demolishing the logetta. Remarkably, no one was killed. 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 pietra 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, plus installing an elevator. Royal Privy Councillor and scaffolding specialist Georg Leib of Munich was the first to donate his scaffolding to rebuild St. Mark's Campanile, on July 22nd, 1902. Work lasted until March 6, 1912. The work was carried out by the construction firm of G.A.Porcheddu. 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.

Tags:   Venice campanile St Mark's campanile Piazza San Marco Basilica tower square collapse 1902 rebuilt 1912 99m lift view viewpoint morning dull rain Andy Rouse Canon EOS 5D MkIII

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Venice, Italy

The last day of our holiday and my last early morning rise. Leaving the hotel at my now customary time of 5:15am I thought to myself... "if you haven't got all the shots you're after, then there's diddly-squat chance of bagging them all in the last few hours" and so I felt no pressure to chase anything in particular, but still compelled to shoot something on the last morning of the last day , fore who knows if I will ever get the chance to revisit Venice again.

As I walked towards Piazza San Marco I could see that the weather was changing for the first time during our holiday. There was a sense of coolness and moisture in the air. When I arrived at the water front near the Doge's Palace a few clouds had turned out to wave me "arrivederci" and a faint lingering mist over San Giorgio Maggiore had stayed around to soften the outline of the distant architecture.

I managed to capture a couple of frames before the lanterns that had provided some nice illumination for the gondolas and mooring posts went out. For once, a bit of perfect timing but the real satisfaction was knowing that in 24 hrs time I would be back home and still in bed!

Tags:   Venice Grand Canal gondolas moored jetty pier bobbing blurred motion San Giorgio Maggiore church lanterns illumination light morning misty mist clouds cool moisture rain home bed long exposure LE Andy Rouse Canon EOS 5D MkIII

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Venice, Italy

I'd very much like to tell you all that this was a carefully planned shot - location scouted (not difficult), sunrise position and time checked on the Photographer's Ephemeris, gear carted for miles, camera setup and hours passed just to capture this iconic bridge in the first rays of morning light. Well, I didn't... it was my third passing visit to other places, but since there wasn't another tripod in sight I could pick my spot. Any other time of day and you haven't a cat in hell's chance of setting up a tripod here.

I know the lighting isn't fooling anyone... it comes from the Doge's building on the left and I just timed it right as they were turned off at 6:25am leaving the scene as flat as a pancake.

Tags:   Venice Bridge of Sighs bridge arch Doge's Palace architecture building lights morning blue hour long exposure LE Andy Rouse Canon EOS 5D MkIII

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Venice, Italy

My last day and early morning shoot in and around Piazza San Marco in Venice. The two columns in the shot are (left) the lion of Venice and (right) St Theodore, the patron saint of Venice before the relics of Saint Mark were (according to tradition) brought to the city in 828.

Although this looks like any other ordinary start to a day, behind me workmen are busy setting up the raised walkways in the square for an anticipated "acqua alta" (high water). We just about timed it right on this holiday - not a drop of rain from Verona, Lake Garda to Venice but no sooner had we boarded the water bus the heavens opened for the entire journey to the airport. I'm pretty certain those Venetians have better weather information than we do in the UK!

Tags:   Venice Piazza San Marco San Giorgio Maggiore columns lion St Theodore St Mark lanterns starbursts early blue hour empty tourists storm rain wet Andy Rouse Canon EOS 5D MkIII

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