Verona
AA-2026-5EAA92
On the image
In the 1970s, travelers would often seek out ancient European structures, perhaps hoping to find some enduring meaning in a world increasingly filled with polyester and disco. This impressive Romanesque bell tower, standing in Verona, Italy, had already seen a thousand years of human endeavors, most of them forgotten.
The surrounding monastery courtyard offered a moment of quiet reflection, a space designed for contemplation that tourists now quickly documented with their new color slide film cameras. The stark stone walls and shaded arches provided a visual counterpoint to the bright, fleeting fashions of the era, suggesting some things were simply beyond the whims of quarterly trends.
One imagines the photographer, having navigated a relatively small Fiat through narrow Italian streets, felt a certain satisfaction in capturing this monument to permanence. The tower, utterly indifferent to the decade's cultural shifts, simply continued its job of being old and very tall.
The historian's note
This photograph, captured in the 1970s, depicts the Campanile (bell tower) of the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore in Verona, Italy. The basilica is considered one of Italy's finest examples of Romanesque architecture.
The campanile, begun in 1045 and completed in 1386, stands over 70 meters tall and features seven levels, each adorned with a distinctive series of arcaded windows. Its construction spanned several centuries, reflecting the evolving Romanesque style.
San Zeno Maggiore remains an active Roman Catholic basilica and a significant historical and artistic landmark in Verona, attracting numerous visitors and scholars interested in its medieval art and architecture.
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Campanile of San Zeno Maggiore, Verona, Italy, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-5EAA92. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/campanile-of-san-zeno-maggiore-verona-italy-1970s.
@misc{aaAA20265EAA92,
title = {Campanile of San Zeno Maggiore, Verona, Italy, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-5EAA92},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/campanile-of-san-zeno-maggiore-verona-italy-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Campanile of San Zeno Maggiore, Verona, Italy, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-5EAA92 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/campanile-of-san-zeno-maggiore-verona-italy-1970s ER -
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