The Carnival

The Historical Carnival of Ivrea
The Carnival

Piedmont and Historical Carnival of Ivrea in “Top 10 regions to visit in 2019” by Lonely Planet

The Historical Carnival of Ivrea is one of the good reason to go to Piedmont, the first top region to visit in 2019 for Lonely Planet. Here the reasons to choose the region for the famous guide: “This landlocked northwestern corner of Italy – former Savoy stronghold, crucible of Italian nationhood and 20th-century industrial powerhouse – is adept at playing to its strengths but not always so good at selling its considerable charms to visitors. However, with Turin’s contemporary-arts and electronic-music scenes […]

23 October 2018 The Carnival Read more...

The battle of the oranges: a brief history

In the Middle Ages beans were the protagonists of the battle. Legend has it twice a year the feudal lord gave a pot of legumes to the less wealthy families and these, out of contempt, threw them into the streets. The same beans were used in Carnival time, like joking bullets to throw at improvised rivals. The origin of today’s battle is, however, to be registered in the nineteenth century, when everything is born as a courtly, almost chivalrous, […]

23 October 2018 The Carnival Read more...

Discovering the Carnival: The Battle of the Oranges

The Battle of the Oranges is the most spectacular part of the historical Carnival of Ivrea, and a fantastic representation of the town’s rebellion against the tyrant. The Battle of the Oranges is fought for three days, from Sunday to Shrove Tuesday. It is played between the nine teams on foot, who represent the people who revolted, and the ‘Aranceri’ (orange-throwers) on horse drawn carriages, who play the role of the feudal armies. Often criticized, rightly so, due to […]

25 September 2018 The Carnival Read more...

Discovering the Carnival: The Vezzosa Mugnaia

Official presentation: Saturday 2nd March 2019, 9pm, Piazza di Città
Emblem of freedom, the Mugnaia is the most important figure of the Historical Carnival of Ivrea. Daughter of a miller and Toniotto’s new wife, she started the popular uprising by killing the disliked lord of the city, who not only oppressed the inhabitants of Eporedia, but also required to spend the first night of marriage with the brides, according to the practice of ius primae noctis. Violetta, this is the […]

25 September 2018 The Carnival Read more...