Battle of Oranges

Our must-see this month if the Battaglia dell Arance in Italy

VIEWING NOTES no. 4

Wow! That looks messy. It is. The debauched Historical Carnival of Ivrea, 90 minutes from Milan, has a finale that leaves the town covered in pulp from thousands of oranges.

So it's like Tomatina? Sort of, but while the well-known Valencian tomato-lobbing festival is a free- for-all, the battle in Ivrea, an hour from Milan, is more organised.

How so? Nine teams, based on the nine boroughs of the town, re-enact the city's liberation from a medieval tyrant. Under the lead of the generale, grown men in sinister eye masks ride through the town on horse-drawn carts, pelting crowds with half-a-million kilos of oranges.

Ouch, sounds painful. Yep. Especially as the crowds are offered no form of protective clothing. Many sport ripe shiners the next day, although - so far - no one has ever been hospitalised.

Does everyone get pulped? Not if you wear a red hat, which marks you out as a spectator.

What then? After three hours, the generale gives out prizes for best dressed, those with the strongest throw and best cart decoration. The crowd disperses, probably for a much-needed vodka and orange.

The Battaglia delle Arance is on 21 February. storicocarnevaleivrea.it

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