For the three days leading up to Fat Tuesday, the men, women, and children participate in the largest organized food fight in Italy – the Battle of the Oranges. The origins of the fight are a little murky but seem to date back to a medieval revolt. In the 1100s, Ivrea was ruled by an evil tyrannical duke.
Legend has it that the duke tried to attack a young miller’s daughter on her wedding night. Instead, she decapitated him and started a revolution. Following her lead, the townspeople of Ivrea stormed the palace and burned it to the ground. Today, nearly a millennia later, the people of Ivrea commemorate their revolution.
