What would inspire people to book trips to Ivrea? The small city near Turin is not just your next obscure travel destination. It is an absolutely must-visit stop in the carnival season, when its distinct identity takes shape as the exciting Battle of the Oranges roars.

 

Oppressed peasants in the Middle Ages likely dreamed of throwing stones and pitchforks at their tyrannical lord and his foreboding palace – and sometimes actually did it. At least that’s the legend behind the Battle of the Oranges held in the Piedmont town where each year tens of thousands of residents and visitors cast tons of citrus fruit, not stones. It has evolved into a colorful, famous festival held each year on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday preceding Lent.