Battle of the oranges

The traditional "battle of the oranges" is held every year in the northern Italian city of Ivrea. During the 19th-century French occupation of Italy the Carnival of Ivrea was modified to add representatives of the French army.The festival lasts for three days, after which just about everyone and everything is covered in pulp and orange juice.

The event marks the rebellion of the people against tyrannical lords who ruled the town in the Middle Ages, with the revellers on carts representing guards of the tyrant, those on foot the townsfolk.The city brings in some 57,000 crates, or 400 tonnes worth of oranges from southern Italy for use in the famous battle each year.