Italy’s biggest food fight involving around 500 tonnes of oranges is always an occasion everyone looks forward to attending. It takes place in the town of Ivrea, in the northern Italian region of Piedmont.
The Battle of the Oranges is a staple of the annual Carnival of Ivrea, which runs from March 3 to 5 every year. Dating back to 1808, the carnival is one of the oldest in the Belpaese, and – much like any other Italian festival – features a range of traditional re-enactments, parades, and activities
.
The epic food fight, which traditionally ends on Shrove Tuesday, has been a festival highlight each and every year.
While the event’s exact origins are somewhat unclear, legend has it that it commemorates the town’s defiance in 1194, against a tyrant who attempted to rape a local miller’s daughter on the eve of her wedding.
In response, the young girl – known as Violetta – decapitated the tyrant, carted his severed head around the town, and ignited a popular revolt. She and her fellow peasants stormed the tyrant’s palace and burnt it to the ground.
VIDEO: Battle of Oranges
Each year, a young girl is chosen to play the part of Violetta, while thousands of locals make up squads of aranceri, or “orange throwers”, who are divided into two categories: those on foot who represent the commoners, and those in carts who represent the tyrant’s Napoleonic army.
The thousands of participants wear protective helmets and padding during the fruity onslaught. In earlier editions of the food fight, beans were thrown, then
apples.
Oranges became the locals’ weapon of choice in the 19th century, and are imported from Sicily for the event each year. The oranges are thrown with considerable force during the battle, but not to worry: if you don’t fancy getting pelted with citrus fruits, you can participate as a bystander.
Spectators wear red hats, which indicates that they are off-limits and aren’t allowed to throw any oranges
themselves.
Bystanders can hide behind the nets that are draped around the town’s buildings, while those more adventurous spectators can simply stay on the battlefield throughout t
he whole ordeal.
If you opt for the latter, be prepared to be hit by rogue oranges or juicy “splashback”. The food fight is followed by a traditional procession through the streets, at the end of which the carnival’s “General” says goodbye to everyone with the classical phrase in dialect arvedse a giobia a ‘n bot, translated as “we’ll see each other on Thursday at one”, referring to the next edition of the carnival.
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