About parliamentarian? A big flower in belltower? (9)

I believe the answer is:

campanile

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'belltower?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'about parliamentarian? a big flower' is the wordplay.
'about' becomes 'ca' (short for circa).
'parliamentarian?' becomes 'MP'.
'big flower' becomes 'nile' (Nile River is an example. I am not sure about the 'big' bit.).
'ca'+'mp'+'a'+'nile'='CAMPANILE'

'in' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for campanile that I've seen before include "Bell tower" , "Impale can on a bell-tower" , "In which bells are" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.