La Bonissima, Medieval statue at Palazzo Comunale, Modena, Italy

La Bonissima is a limestone and marble statue positioned at the corner of Palazzo Comunale, overlooking the central square. Standing at about 137 centimeters tall, the figure rises distinctly into the medieval city center.

La Bonissima dates to the 12th century, as suggested by written records such as the chronicle of Bonifazio da Morano. Its style and clothing lead some scholars to attribute it to the Maestro delle Metope of Modena Cathedral. The chronicle of Lancellotti records that the statue was moved to its present position, initially on different bases, in 1468.

In Modena the word "Bonissima" (Bunéssma in dialect) still means a curious, gossipy person known to everyone, because the statue looks down on the square and sees all that happens. The name itself probably comes from "Bona Esma" (stima, misura), linked to the palace of good measure.

The statue sits at the corner of Palazzo Comunale on Piazza Grande and is easily visible from multiple viewpoints. Visitors can spot and photograph it clearly from anywhere on the central square.

Scholars agree the Bonissima depicts a real woman but disagree on who: some identify her as Bonixima, daughter of a certain Sigecio, who donated vast estates to the monastery of San Pietro; others as Gundeberga, a Lombard woman who died on 12 June 570. A fold in the statue's garment was long read by locals as a purse.