Modena. Easter Sunday. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa is a guest in the city. He grants Modena the privilege of establishing a mint to mint coins. Mutina is an imperial possession, although, since the emperor resides in distant Germany, the local nobles, divided between Guelphs and Ghibellines, vie for power. During a moment of truce in 1160, the Lombard sculptors of the Campionesi family are invited. Over five generations, from 1160 to 1319, they decorate the walls of Modena Cathedral and the Ghirlandina (named after the decorative garlands sculpted by the Campionesi brothers).
