Oranges were flying last week in Ivrea, in Northern Italy, where nearly 30 tons of citrus were hurled in a mock battle between local revolutionaries and Napoleonic troops.
There are a number of annual food-fights in various parts of Europe, but Ivrea’s is one of the earliest, and one with a history grounded in two rebellions. It’s timed as part of the town’s annual Carnival celebration.
The first backstory dates to the late 12th century, when a popular revolt overthrew the tyrannical local Duke, Guido III. Each year, a village woman plays ‘la mugnaia,’ a miller’s daughter who supposedly beheaded the Duke during his attempt on her virtue. The revolt followed, and the oranges, depending on your favorite version, represent the duke’s head, his testicles, or stones thrown at the palace.
Fast forward 600 years, and the villagers are seething under the rule of French troops. The battle of the oranges is revived, with villagers dressed as French troops (and possibly real troops) as the targets of the villagers in place of the duke and his palace. Since 1808, it’s been an annual event.
Oh, and the organes. They don’t grow in the area; the ammunition is trucked in from Sicily, where left-over, spoiled and unwanted fruit goes into the mix.
