Oranges, beans and pork served at the Carnevale di Ivrea

Back after three years, this battle of the oranges is an epic festival of pulp fiction

The cool morning air blows down from the Alpine mountains into the town of Ivrea in northern Piedmont, Italy. The clean, chilled air mingles with the scent of oranges, stacked in quiet street corners and squares, ready for the town's annual carnival, the Battaglia delle Arancie (Battle of the Oranges). It's mid-February 2020 and I’m here for carnival, a chaotic few days over which locals pelt each other oranges, representing centuries of local history and the overthrow of an oppressive ruler. But it would be three years before the noisy clamour of carnival would once again be heard, following Covid pandemic cancellations. The town is a short drive northwest of Turin, with its international airport.

Scences from the battlefield from the Carnevale di Ivrea (c) The Lemon Grove

Ivrea carnival is surrounded by legends, not least relating to its origin story. It dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries, and a brutal tyrant believed to be either Ranieri di Biandrate or the Marquis William VII of Montferrat.