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The carnival of Ivrea is
one of Italy's most spectacular
thanks to one enterprising
ingredient - the Battle of
the Oranges.
Three days of build up and
offically sanctioned violence
are 'organised' when the squares
and piazze are turned into
battle grounds between 9 competing
teams and 3000 people.
The origin of the madness
goes back to a legendary people's
revolt against Count Ranieri
of Biandrate and is based
on liberty and freedom of
expression.
Before the battle on the
Sunday of Carnival, the populace
are fed with free beans, perhaps
to sustain them during the
rigors of battle.
The signal for the festival
to begin is the holding aloft
of a child by each of the
4 quarters of the town.
Although not as dangerous
as running with the bulls
at Pamplona, on a cold day
it has been known for many
of the oranges to freeze like
golf balls. The site below
is fantastic and has great
photos as well as text in
English.
Ivrea was founded by the
Romans in 100 BC and was called
Eropedia.
Its position looking straight
down the Aosta valley made
it a great location for spotting
marauding Gauls as well as
a commercial center during
more calmer times.
Ivrea, in fact, became the
capital of the Italic Kingdom
under Arduino around 1002.
Medieval times saw the city
at its height both financially
and culturally. The ecclesiastical
university rivalled both Torino
and Pavia in Lombardia and
a large Benedictine abbey
was constructed there in the
XIth century.
Visitors today should head
to the Baroque Duomo, the
Biblioteca Capitolare for
its miniature manuscripts
and the Olivetti plant.
Why the latter? Because inside
the grounds are some of the
most important frescoes in
northern Italy. By Spanozotti,
they date from the 14th century.
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