Italian
On July 14, the 124th anniversary of the collapse of the Campanile di San Marco is commemorated, an event that in 1902 turned “El Paron de Casa” into a pile of rubble. Today, a fascinating discovery reveals the crucial role of a furnace from Parma in its extraordinary reconstruction.
SISSA TRECASALI. On July 14, 1902, Venice helplessly witnessed the collapse of its most beloved symbol, the Campanile di San Marco. In a matter of moments, a millennium of history dissolved, but from those ruins emerged one of the most extraordinary reconstruction efforts of 20th-century Italy, guided by the famous motto “com’era e dov’era.”
Among the lesser-known but fundamental stories of that rebirth is that of the Fornace Pizzi of Gramignazzo, located in the Municipality of Sissa Trecasali, in the province of Parma. Thanks to local historical sources and collaboration with Tiziana Tridente, the deputy mayor of the Municipality, it has been possible to reconstruct the unbreakable bond between this furnace and the “Paron de Casa.” The Fornace Pizzi played a decisive role in the reconstruction, providing about 203,000 bricks.
These bricks, characterized by their unmistakable red color, were made from clay from the banks of the Taro River and sand taken directly from the Po. A combination of local natural resources that ensured a quality and hue perfectly in line with the originals. The transport of this massive quantity of material was no less epic: the bricks embarked on a long journey by water, loaded at the river port of Torricella. From there, they followed the great waterway of the Po, crossing the Po Valley until they reached the Lagoon of Venice. This route not only testifies to the logistical ingenuity of the time but also evokes the ancient and deep commercial ties that connected the Parma area to the Serenissima, always based on river navigation.
The mastery of the Fornace Pizzi was such that it managed to reproduce bricks with color and size characteristics so similar to the originals that they could be perfectly integrated without any noticeable difference. This exceptional technical quality perfectly matched the guiding principle of the reconstruction: “com’era e dov’era.” It is interesting to note how the reconstruction of the Campanile coincided with a period of great activity for Italian river navigation. In 1900, the Società di Navigazione Fluviale was founded in Venice, followed in 1906 in Mantova by the Società Mantovana Barcai. The introduction of steam tugs and the organization of convoys of barges on the river network revolutionized the transport of heavy goods, including building materials such as bricks and coal needed to fuel the furnaces.
“With the El Paron de Casa project – said Vittorio Baroni, the project’s author – we would like to develop a new cultural initiative with the Municipality of Sissa Trecasali and bring our exhibition on the Campanile di San Marco to Emilia Romagna along with the works created with the remains of the Campanile di San Marco by the Venetian sculptor Giorgio Bortoli, who was among the first to recover the bricks from the seabed off San Nicolò del Lido where the bricks had been dumped after the collapse.” This vision emphasizes the importance of enhancing not only history but also the artistic and cultural heritage that derives from it.
“Enhancing a territory – emphasized Tiziana Tridente, deputy mayor of the Municipality of Sissa Trecasali – in my opinion means seeking cultural collaborations with entities and associations even beyond one’s regional context. This is precisely the case! The bond that unites our territory and Venice is attested by an oral tradition that has been passed down for over a century, and I thank the El Paron de Casa project for accepting the challenge of enhancing the Fornace Pizzi of Gramignazzo.”
Today, 124 years after the tragic collapse of the “Paron de Casa,” this rediscovered story gives the right value to a little-known chapter of Italian history. Every single brick that left Gramignazzo is not just a building element but a tangible symbol of how the reconstruction of the Campanile di San Marco was the result of a broad collaboration between different territories. United by the great waterway of the Po and a common desire to return to the world one of its most iconic monuments, these places have together written an indelible page of resilience and ingenuity. The story of the Fornace Pizzi is a powerful reminder of the strength of cooperation and the ability to join forces to preserve and celebrate our common cultural heritage.
