Chioggia, ITALY – The tower with the oldest clock in the world opened again last week after reconstruction.
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The restoration work in the building, called the Tower of Sant’Andrea, started in 2025 and ended right before June 11th, the day that the city celebrates its patron saints Felice and Fortunato and the day the clock tower re-opened.
At the celebration, various speakers, including Mauro Armelao, the mayor of Chioggia – wrapped in an Italian flag-colored sash – talked about the process of reconstruction and the value of the tower for the city.
A crowd gathered around the tower entrance, excited to see the city symbol returned to them.
Historians think an earlier version of the tower was built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD to serve as a lighthouse and then as a defensive structure.
In 2006, the clock tower was transformed into an eight-floor museum. The first, second, and third floors feature three clock mechanisms from other towers that belong to churches in Chioggia.
The tower, as it appears now, was built in the mid-10th century. Locals say it has been used to announce the arrival of fishermen who wandered into the sea in the morning.
According to the museum website, the tower’s clock is the oldest in the world.
On the 4th floor, visitors can admire the most ancient tower clock mechanism still in working condition, preserved inside the tower, even though the external dial now works with an electric mechanism.
The first documentation regarding the clock dates back to 1386. But historians think it was built in the first half of the 14th century, and the written traces were destroyed during the War of Chioggia (1378-1381), fought between the Republics of Genoa and Venice in the city.
The clock is believed to be made by Jacopo Dondi, an inventor ahead of his time, who later created a famous astronomical clock in Padua on Piazza dei Signori.
The tower clock has a surprisingly small number of gears that are turned by a weight that slowly descends.
After a floor dedicated to the family of the clock craftsman, Dondi, the visitors can admire a unique view of the town from the bell chamber located about 30 meters high.
From there you can see not only the old city center with its channels and boats, and the neighboring island of Pellestrina, but also the colorful houses of the newer district of Chioggia, called Sottomarina.
The clock tower is one of the most important city symbols that make Chioggia more than just a sea resort, but also an important cultural center where, during the Middle Ages, some of the greatest minds of that era learned to measure time.
Sofiia Yakymenko is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
