To rival La Tomatina, Italy has a food throwing event of its own. The town of Ivrea battles things out with oranges, replicating a battle held in 1194 that begin with a brave maiden slicing off the head of the town's count. The count made it his duty to sleep with every new bride but the weird holiday gives more of a nod to the heroin than the villain. Violetta, the married, revolted against the count's right of the first night and decapitated him with a sword to save her pride and fidelity. She then waved the count's head about and set fire to his castle. The result of Violetta's actions was a revolt of stone throwing townspeople against the count's troops. The oranges used in the modern day re-enactment of the battle are the excess of Italy's production quota. The good townspeople of Ivrea help the European Economic Community maintain orange prices by destroying the excess.
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