The annual Battle of the Oranges has taken place in Italy with teams pelting each other with fruit during the three-day festival. The tradition's origins are unclear but it is believed it dates back centuries. Hundreds of people attend the event in Ivrea, a town in northern Italy near Turin. It supposedly commemorates a 12th century uprising with oranges representing the head of their enemy.

According to legend, the town's evil lord attempted to rape a miller's daughter named Violetta on the eve of her wedding. She then cut off his head and presented it to the townspeople who were then freed from the evil tyrant. They stormed his castle and set fire to it. Another version of the tradition's origin tells of the town's poor were given pots of beans by the feudal lords.