Pictures from the Orange Throwing Battle in Ivrea, Italy

The town of Ivrea, in Italy's Piedmont region, has a unique way of celebrating Carnival. An ancient battle is reenacted with an exciting and juicy orange battle. Thousands of oranges are thrown during the battle in the town center. James Martin traveled to Ivrea on his last day in Turin. Here are pictures of the Ivrea Carnival taken by James.

Giorgio Pogliano of Turin writes, "The battle is an allegoric representation of a local insurrection, in 1194, against Holy Roman Emperor Frederick of Swabia, a.k.a. "Barbarossa" (Red Beard). If Scottie could beam you up blindfolded in the center of Ivrea, by the left bank of the River Dora, on battle day, you would be immediately inebriated by the smell of thousands of crates of red juicy oranges, mixed with the pungent aroma of Vin brulé, hot red and spicy wine." Read the rest of Giorgio's colorful description of the Ivrea Orange Battle.

Italian Festival Resources: Carnevale Festivals | Festivals in Italy