Slovenia’s eight MEPs weighed in at a ding-dong in a small town in northern Italy, calling on the European Commission to act to “protect traditions” after an Italian judge silenced church bells.

For some in Dolina, a town with a Slovenian minority community close to the Italy-Slovenia border, the bells of Sant’Ulderico church were essential to the rhythm of their day, with tolls informing them not only of the start of mass, a feast day or when someone has died, but also serving as a clock.

For others, the “loud and excessive” ringing was a blight, leading to a petition which in turn led to a judge in nearby Trieste removing the bells in an unprecedented ruling.

“Fines have been imposed on Italian parishes if the bells are too loud, but they have never been confiscated before,” said parish priest Klemen Zalar. “That reaction was a bit too heavy.”

The feud has embittered the population of 4,800, prompting accusations of personal vendettas.

It started during Italy’s harsh coronavirus lockdown in the spring of 2020, when self-operating bells became intolerable for some residents stuck at home.

“It was bam-bam, bam-bam all day,” said petition organizer Mauro Zerial, who counted 550 knocks a day between Monday and Saturday, and 1,350 on Sunday. “It would start at 6am, with 70 strokes for Ave Maria, then seven at 7am, then every 15 minutes until another long bell for the start of evening mass. It was crazy. But no one wanted the bells to be cut, we just wanted them to work within the norm, and that was in no way an attack on Slovenian traditions.

Dolina, in the semi-autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the region was annexed by Italy after the First World War. Today, part of the population speaks Slovenian and holds dual nationality. Zalar said the bell schedule was very much in line with the way bells are traditionally used in churches in Slovenia.

A malfunction caused by lightning in 2019 sometimes triggered the bells spontaneously, but Zalar said the ringing was never excessive and said some of the 150 citizens who signed the petition were tricked into thinking they supported a cause to have the bells repaired.

MEP Ljudmila Novak said the issue was raised in Brussels after members of the Slovenian community in Dolina turned to her and her colleagues “in distress”.

“The Slovenian minority is protected by special laws so that it can preserve its national identity and customs. These laws also include religious rites,” she said. “We ask the commission how it will act to eliminate the disproportionate interference with religious freedom and cultural tradition in an area where the indigenous Slovenian national community lives.”

The bells were dropped by the judge at the end of January, but with an order restricting their use. But silence reigns as the church scrambles to come up with a ringing schedule to suit the new rules.

Sara Merlak, who collected signatures for the petition, said they were forced to seek justice after the church failed to cooperate.

“All we wanted was for Ave Maria to be moved to 7 a.m.,” she said. “Now we all miss the bells.”