Medieval Italy was a place of art, ambition, and… aggressive bucket theft?

In the year 1325, the proud cities of Modena and Bologna — fierce rivals in northern Italy — went to war. Not over territory. Not over money. But over a wooden bucket.

The Great Bucket Heist

It all started when soldiers from Modena raided Bologna and, among other loot, stole an old oak water bucket from a city well. It was a small act, probably intended more as mockery than anything else.

But Bologna took it personally.

They demanded the return of the bucket. Modena refused. Bologna, in all its honor and pride, raised an army of 30,000 men to get the bucket back.

Bucket vs. Blades

Modena didn’t back down. They gathered their own force — significantly smaller, but highly motivated (possibly because they thought the whole thing was hilarious). On November 15, 1325, the two armies clashed at the Battle of Zappolino.

Modena won. Decisively.

Bologna's forces were humiliated, and the bucket remained in Modena as a trophy of victory. Today, you can still visit the infamous bucket — proudly displayed in Modena’s Torre della Ghirlandina.

The Moral of the Story?

Don’t mess with Italian buckets.