Gezicht op het San Marcoplein, de San Marco, het Dogepaleis en de campanile te Venetië, Italië c. 1850 - 1920

Carlo Ponti captured this view of Venice’s Piazza San Marco in a photograph around the mid-19th century. The square is dominated by the Campanile, the bell tower, a symbol of civic pride and power. The tower's form—a soaring, solitary pillar—echoes ancient obelisks of Egypt. Think of how these obelisks, erected to honor pharaohs, were later re-contextualized by the Romans, transplanted as symbols of imperial triumph. The Campanile, while not of ancient origin, inherits this symbolic weight, representing Venice's own aspirations to grandeur and permanence. Imagine the collective memory embedded in such forms, how they resonate with subconscious desires for stability and recognition. The tower, like a lighthouse, stands as a beacon, yet the tower has fallen, and it has been rebuilt; symbolizing its own cyclical rebirth.