AN ENTIRE CITY DECLARES WAR… WITH ORANGES! IVREA REPLAYS ITS REVOLT
On one side, the people in costume, nine teams on foot. On the other, the tyrant's guards, perched on horse-drawn carriages. Between them: hundreds of thousands of oranges flying through the streets of Ivrea. For three days, from Sunday to Shrove Tuesday, the small Piedmont town replays its revolt at full scale: the Battaglia delle Arance, the Battle of the Oranges of the Storico Carnevale di Ivrea.
The story the city stages dates back to the 12th–13th century. The marquis, a local tyrant, seeks to exercise his "right" over Violetta, the miller's daughter. Violetta kills him — and sparks the people's revolt. Eight centuries on ("eight centuries of history" is the official foundation's own phrase), Ivrea replays its liberation every year: the "aranceri" embody the people, the carriages carry the tyrant's guards, and oranges have replaced weapons.
The scale is dizzying: around 5,000 combatants, including more than 4,000 aranceri on foot and some fifty carriages (according to EverybodyLovesItalian); the TravelBeginsAt40 guide puts the crowd at around 100,000 visitors over the three days. The orange battle in its codified form is a 19th-century tradition, consolidated after the Second World War — a carnival that is also a civic ritual: you don't just watch, you belong to a team, a neighbourhood, a memory. And the festival thinks ahead: the smashed oranges end up as compost, handed out to the public, as the organiser confirms.
Next appointment: the battle is expected from February 7 to 9, 2027 — the Fondazione has already opened its "Programma 2027" and the pre-registrations of the tanks. Recommended protective glasses, well screwed cap: in Ivrea, the revolution smells of pressed orange. Number 4 of our Top 10 of the most unusual festivals in the world — and probably the most vitamin-rich.
Practical information
Storico Carnevale di Ivrea — Battaglia delle Arance
Where: Ivrea (Piedmont), Italy
Next edition: battle expected from 7 to 9 February 2027 (Sunday to Shrove Tuesday) — 2027 programme already opened by the organiser
Organiser: Fondazione dello Storico Carnevale di Ivrea
Official website: https://storicocarnevaleivrea.it
Tickets: prices not published in the sources consulted (checked on 17 October 2026) — enquire with the organiser
— Moïse 1er, the Festival Explorer