Visit Torre Ghirlandina: Modena's UNESCO Bell Tower

High inside this UNESCO-listed tower sits a simple wooden bucket that supposedly sparked a medieval war. Gaze up from the square at the soaring Torre Civica - Ghirlandina, the historic bell tower that defines the city's skyline.

Standing 86.12 meters high on Piazza Grande, the Torre della Ghirlandina anchors the historic heart of Modena. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 alongside the adjoining Cathedral and square, the tower historically functioned as both a religious campanile and a fortified municipal vault.

A Masterpiece of Two Architectural Eras

Construction of the tower began around 1099 to 1130 under the architect Lanfranco. This initial phase established a sturdy, square Romanesque base. Scientific restoration has since revealed that the tower's lower masonry was built using salvaged stones and bas-reliefs repurposed from the ancient Roman city of Mutina.

Between 1261 and 1319, Arrigo da Campione and the Campionesi masters completed the structure by adding a delicate, octagonal Gothic spire topped with a golden globe. This lofty addition was fueled by a fierce civic rivalry, as Modena sought to outshine the towering skyline of neighboring Bologna. The structure affectionately became known as the "Ghirlandina" due to the double marble balustrades and finials wrapping around the spire, which resemble delicate garlands.

The Legend of the Stolen Bucket

In the Middle Ages, the tower safeguarded Modena's municipal strongbox, civic archive, and municipal statutes. It also became the resting place for a peculiar war trophy. On November 15, 1325, Ghibelline forces from Modena routed the Guelph Bolognese army at the Battle of Zappolino. Pursuing the retreating army to the gates of Bologna, Modenese soldiers stole a simple wooden bucket from a well as an insulting trophy.

This bucket was hung in chains in the tower's first vaulted room, now known as the Sala della Secchia Rapita. In the 1600s, the writer Alessandro Tassoni published the mock-heroic epic La secchia rapita, which popularized the satirical myth that the war was actually fought over the bucket itself. Historical evidence, however, proves the bucket was taken only after the battle was won. Today, a wooden replica hangs in the tower, while the historic original is securely preserved in the Palazzo Comunale.

Climbing the Ghirlandina

The Torre della Ghirlandina is open daily to the public via scheduled time-slot bookings, with standard admission priced at €6.00. The ascent requires climbing 200 narrow, winding steps through thick brickwork walls. The route leads past the Sala della Secchia Rapita and concludes on the 5th floor at the Stanza dei Torresani, an open vaulted chamber featuring medieval figurative capitals. Upper sections of the spire remain closed for safety reasons.

From this vantage point, high arched windows provide panoramic views over Modena's terracotta roofs, the geometric paving of Piazza Grande, and the distant Apennine foothills. Back at ground level, the northern base of the tower serves as the Sacrario della Ghirlandina, a solemn civic shrine dedicated to local partisans who lost their lives during World War II.