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TRAVELLER
WORDS AMY DENNIS | PHOTOS © REUTERS
THE MUST SEE
BATTLE OF
ORANGES
MILAN
NO.
4
Wow! That looks messy.
It is. The
debauched Historical Carnival of
Ivrea, 90minutes fromMilan, has a
finale that leaves the town covered
in pulp from thousands of oranges.
So it’s like Tomatina?
Sort of, but
while the well-known Valencian
tomato-lobbing festival is a free-
for-all, the battle in Ivrea, an hour
fromMilan, is more organised.
How so?
Nine teams, based on
the nine boroughs of the town,
re-enact the city’s liberation from
a medieval tyrant. Under the lead
of the
generale
, grownmen in
sinister eye masks ride through the
town on horse-drawn carts, pelting
crowds with half-a-million kilos of
oranges.
Ouch, sounds painful.
Yep.
Especially as the crowds are
offered no formof protective
clothing. Many sport ripe shiners
the next day, although – so far –
no one has ever been hospitalised.
Does everyone get pulped?
Not
if you wear a red hat, whichmarks
you out as a spectator.
What then?
After three hours, the
generale gives out prizes for best
dressed, those with the strongest
throw and best cart decoration.
The crowd disperses, probably for
a much-needed vodka and orange.
The Battaglia delleArance is on 21
February. storicocarnevaleivrea.it
VIEWING NOTES
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