James Baquet

If you were to visit the bell tower of the church in Modena, Italy, a strange sight would greet your eyes.

Though a modern center of industry — such sports car manufacturers as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati have been located there — Modena is an ancient town, with a university founded in 1175 and a ducal palace dating to 1634. The town’s Cathedral and its bell tower (the Torre della Ghirlandina), as well as the Piazza Grande (Grand Plaza) in front of it, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

Up high, near the ceiling of that same tower, hangs a bucket, a replica of an oaken bucket that started a war. (One source says the original bucket is in the tower’s basement; another says it’s in the Municipal Palace.)

The conflict was actually a bit more serious than that, but it is true that after the men of Modena stole the bucket from Bologna, a battle ensued that cost thousands of lives.

In the Middle Ages, a controversy had arisen as to who should choose church leaders — the Pope in Rome, or the local lords. Those who supported the Pope were called the Guelphs; those who thought civil leaders should appoint bishops and abbots were the Ghibellines.

The Guelph and Ghibelline Wars were a series of long and sometimes bloody conflicts. They started in 1125, rested from 1186 to 1216, and then flared again until 1392. (The feud between Romeo’s and Juliet’s families may have been based in this conflict.)

The people of Modena were Ghibellines; those of Bologna, whose city center today is less than 40 kilometers from that of Modena, were Guelphs.

In this tense climate, in 1325, for a lark a group of Modenese soldiers snuck into Bologna and stole the oaken bucket from the town well. This embarrassed the Bolognese, who demanded its return. When Modena refused, the Bolognese army — 32,000men — met 7,000 Modenese near Zappolino, now a suburb of Bologna.

Modena prevailed — and kept the bucket. Two thousand men had died.

Today, the site Change.org has a petition addressed to the city of Modena titled, “Return the Bucket stolen from Bologna in 1325.” Only 28 people signed before the petition was closed.

Vocabulary:

Which words above mean:

1. followed; resulted;

2. silly adventure; prank;

3. of a duke;

4. copy;

5. something one can see;

6. long-standing argument, often between families;

7. formal request for action, signed by many;

8. heads of monasteries;

9. made of oakwood;

10. small, fast vehicle, good for racing