Campanile

Campanile (Italian pronunciation: [kampaˈniːle], English: /ˌkæmpəˈniːliː/) is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" (from the word campana, meaning "bell"). The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building (usually a church or a civil administration building) or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.

The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa. However for most, especially in North America, the word campanile is synonymous with the Campanile di San Marco in St Mark's Square, Venice, or other towers modeled after it.

Modern campaniles often contain carillons, a musical instrument traditionally composed of at least 23 large bells which are sounded by cables, chains, or cords connected to a keyboard. These can be found at some college and university campuses. In modern construction, rather than using heavy bells the sound may be produced by the striking of small metal rods whose vibrations are amplified electronically and sounded through loudspeakers.

The tallest free-standing campanile in the world is the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, located at the University of Birmingham, UK.[1] although its actual height is the subject of some confusion. The university lists it as 110 metres (361 ft) tall,[2] whereas other sources state that it is 100 metres (328 ft) tall, which would correspond to approximately 110 yards.[1][3]

Contents

List of campaniles

This is a list of campaniles found on Wikipedia:

Argentina

Australia

Canada

Chile

Cyprus

Denmark

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

New Zealand

Slovakia

South Africa

Spain

United Kingdom

United States

Other uses

Campanile is also the name of the Mount Saint Joseph Academy Newspaper. Campanile is also the name of the Palo Alto High School newspaper, and the Rice University yearbook. It is also the name of a restaurant in Los Angeles, California owned by Mark Peel where the head pastry chef is Nancy Silverton.

See also

References

External links