Flying oranges: Italian town celebrates carnival with historic street battle

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 1 min read 100% complete February 16, 2026 at 04:10 PM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

The Italian town of Ivrea, near Turin, is holding its annual Battle of the Oranges as part of its historic carnival celebration. During the event, participants engage in a symbolic street battle by throwing oranges at each other. The carnival commemorates the legend of Violetta, a miller's daughter who liberated the town from a tyrant. The orange-throwing battle represents the town's uprising against feudal armies. Nine teams on foot represent the revolting townspeople, while orange throwers on horse-drawn carriages symbolize the feudal armies. The event is a colorful and unique tradition.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Turin 60% Violetta 70% Italy 80% Ivrea 90% Battle of the Oranges 95%

Keywords

carnival 100% battle of the oranges 90% oranges 80% historic carnival 70% italy 70% street battle 60% uprising 50% feudal armies 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.40

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

85%

Geographic Perspective

Ivrea

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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carnival battle of the oranges oranges historic carnival italy street battle uprising feudal armies

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