4594. CAMPANILE GIOTTO, Florence, Italy. Vintage 1960's 3D silver travel charm of an Italian Medieval Tower. Marked 800. Weighs 4 grams. 2.5cm tall.



In 1334, Giotto started the cathedral bell tower (clad in the same three colors of marble gracing the Duomo) but completed only the first two levels before his death in 1337. He was out of his league with the engineering aspects of architecture, and the tower was saved from falling in on itself by Andrea Pisano, who doubled the thickness of the walls. Andrea, a master sculptor of the Pisan Gothic school, also changed the design to add statue niches -- he even carved a few of the statues himself -- before quitting the project in 1348. Francesco Talenti finished the job between 1350 and 1359 -- he exchanged the heavy solidness of the base for a lighter, airier effect.