At the Carnevale di Ivrea, oranges are the weapon of choice not with guns and swords. Every year, the tiny northern city of Ivrea in the Turin province stockpiles 500,000 kilograms of fresh oranges for Battaglia delle Arance (Battle of the Oranges), a re-creation of a historic fight between townsfolk and a ruling tyrant.
Unlike Spain's La Tomatina, the battle of the Oranges isn't a backpacker free-for-all. It's highly structured, steeped in history and contains some competitive elements. It's free and fun to watch for nearly 100,000 spectators, but for the competitive teams of almost 4000 its a serious business and the highlight of the year.
In my opinion, although the battle is more than a little messy and even violent on occasion, the townspeople of Ivrea consider it a birthright and an important part of their culture. They find the battle “liberating” and “joyous,”. Looking around at today’s world, we couldn’t think of a more relevant theme.
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