Ivrea

This article is about the town. For the publisher, seeEditorial Ivrea.

Ivrea Ivrèja(Piedmontese)
Comune
Città di Ivrea
Panorama of Ivrea
Coat of arms
Location of Ivrea
Ivrea Location of Ivrea in Piedmont Ivrea Ivrea (Piedmont)
Coordinates:45°28′N07°53′E
Country	Italy
Region	Piedmont
Metropolitan city	Turin(TO)
Frazioni	San Bernardo D'Ivrea, Torre Balfredo, Canton Stimozzo, Gillio, La Rossa, Meina, Moretti, Parise, Regione Campasso
Government
• Mayor	Matteo Chiantore
Area
• Total	30.19 km2(11.66 sq mi)
Elevation	253 m (830 ft)
Population (30 November 2017)
• Total	23,599
• Density	780/km2(2,000/sq mi)
Demonym	Eporediesi
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)
Postal code	10015
Dialing code	0125
Patron saint	Saint Sabinus
Saint day	7 July
Website	comune.ivrea.to.it
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Ivrea, an industrial city of the 20th century
Type	Cultural
Criteria	(iv)
Designated	2018
Reference no.	1538
Region	Southern Europe

Ivrea(Italian:[iˈvrɛːa];Piedmontese:Ivrèja[iˈʋrɛja];French:Ivrée;Latin:Eporedia) is a town andcomuneof theMetropolitan City of Turinin thePiedmontregion of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to theAosta Valley(part of the medievalVia Francigena), it straddles theDora Balteaand is regarded as the centre of theCanavesearea. Ivrea lies in a basin that in prehistoric times formed a large lake. Today, five smaller lakes—Sirio, San Michele, Pistono, Nero and Campagna—are found in the area around the town.

On 1 July 2018, the site which is known as "Industrial City of the 20th Century" was listed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

History

Ivrea and its surroundings have been inhabited since theNeolithicera; theCeltsare believed to have had a village in Ivrea from around the 5th century BC. However, the town first officially appears in history as an outpost of theRoman Republicfounded in 100 BC, probably built to guard one of the traditional invasion routes into northern Italy over theAlps.ItsLatinname wasEporedia.

After the fall of theWestern Roman Empire,Ivrea became the seat of a duchy under theLombards(6th-8th centuries). Under theFranks(9th century), Ivrea was a county capital. In the year 1001, after a period of disputes with bishopWarmund,ruler of the city,Arduinconquered theMarch of Ivrea.Later he became King of Italy and began a dynasty that lasted until the 11th century, when the city fell again under the bishops' sovereignty.

In the 12th century, Ivrea became afree comune,but succumbed in the first decades of the following century to the rule of EmperorFrederick II.Later, Ivrea was disputed between the bishops, themarquisate of Monferratoand theHouse of Savoy.

In 1356, Ivrea was acquired byAmadeus VI of Savoy.With the exception of the brief French conquest at the end of the 16th century, Ivrea remained under the House of Savoy until 1800. It was a subsidiary title of the king of Sardinia, although the only Marquis of Ivrea wasBenedetto of Savoy(who later fought in theFrench Revolutionary wars). On May 26, 1800,Napoleon Bonaparteentered the city along with his victorious troops, establishing control that ended in 1814 after his fall.

During the 20th century, its primary claim to fame was as the base of operations forOlivetti,a manufacturer oftypewriters,mechanicalcalculatorsand, later,computers.The Olivetti company no longer has an independent existence, though its name still appears as a registered trademark on office equipment manufactured by others. In 1970, about 90,000 people, including commuters from Southern Italy, lived and worked in the Ivrea area.

TheArduinoelectronic platform was created at theInteraction Design Institute Ivrea,and takes its name from a bar named after the historical figure ofArduin of Italy.UNESCO, when it designated the city a World Heritage Site, said that it "expresses a modern vision of the relationship between industrial production and architecture."

Main sights

The castle (14th century)

The Cathedral of Ivrea

Unknown painter, second half of 15th century,A Miracle of the BlessedPierre de Luxembourg(Cathedral)

• Ivrea Castle(1357), built during the reign ofAmadeus VI of Savoy.It has a quadrangular plan in brick with four round towers at the corners. In 1676, a tower, used as an ammunition store, exploded after being struck by lightning. It was never rebuilt. Once a prison, the castle today houses exhibitions.
• Cathedral of Ivrea, which originated from a church built here in the 4th century at the site of a pagan temple. Around AD 1000, it was reconstructed by bishop Warmondus inRomanesque-style: of that edifice the two bell towers, some columns, and the frescoed crypt remain. The latter houses an ancient Roman sarcophagus which according to tradition, preserves the relics ofSt. Bessus(co-patron of the city together withSt. Sabinus). In 1785, it was rebuilt again in aBaroquestyle. The current neo-classical façade was built in the 19th century. One of the old frescoes of the interior is theA Miracle of the BlessedPierre de Luxembourg(second half of 15th century). The sacristy has two altarpieces byDefendente Ferrari.The cathedral also houses the tomb ofBlessed Thaddeus McCarthy.
• The Biblioteca Capitolare ( "Capitular Library" ), near the cathedral, houses an important collection of codices from the 7th–15th centuries.
• Church and convent of San Bernardino:smallGothicchurch built by theMinoritesstarting from 1455. It houses a cycle portraying theLife and Passion of ChristbyGiovanni Martino Spanzotti(1480–1490).
• The Museum Pier Alessandro Garda has some interesting archaeological findings and a collection of Japanese art pieces. It is located on the large Piazza Ottinetti.
• The Open Air Museum of Modern Architecture, inaugurated in 2001, is a show of the main edifices (some by leading architects of the time) built byOlivettifrom the 1950s onwards.
• The remains of a 1st-century Roman theatre, located west of the city centre. It could hold 10,000 spectators.
• ThePonte Vecchio(Old Bridge) dates back to AD 100 and leads over to Borghetto. Originally constructed of wood, it was rebuilt in stone in 1716.
• TheIvrea Town Hall(Palazzo di Città), built in 1758. It has a bell tower decorated withhempplants, the symbol ofCanavese.
• TheTallianti Tower,dating from the 12th-13th century.
• St. Stephen Tower, dating from the 11th century. This Romanesque bell tower is the remains of St. Stephen Abbey, built in 1041 by theBenedictineorder. It is located between Hotel La Serra andDora Baltea.
• Church of San Gaudenzio
• Santa Marta(late 15th-century), former church
• Cappella dei Tre Re
• Sant'Ulderico,a medieval church
• Teatro Giacosa,the town's theatre, of neoclassical style
• Palazzo Giusiana,a Renaissance noble palace
• The remains of theIvrea Roman Amphitheatre,dating back to the 1st century AD

Culture

There are two main festivals in Ivrea, both celebrated during Catholic festivity but both rooted in more ancient city traditions. One is the Carnival, its main celebrations taking place 40 days before Easter. The other is thepatronal festivalof St. Savino (Sabinus of Spoleto), celebrated the week of 7 July. During the latter festivity, a horse fair takes place with a carriage exhibition and horse shows.

Battle of the Oranges

Main article:Battle of the Oranges

A scene from the "Battle of the Oranges".

The core celebration of Ivreacarnivalcentres around theBattle of the Oranges.This involves some thousands of townspeople, divided into nine combat on-the-ground teams, who throw oranges at tens of cart-based teams—with considerable violence—during the last three fat carnival days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The carnival takes place 40 days before Easter and it ends on the night of "Fat Tuesday" with a solemn ceremony that involves a funeral in honour of the concluded Carnival.

AMugnaiais chosen among the citizens' spouses. The legend has that a miller's daughter (the eponymous "Mugnaia" ) once refused to accept the "right" of the local duke tospend a night with each newlywed womanand chopped his head off. Today, the carriages represent the duke's guard and the orange throwers the revolutionaries. People wearing a red hat will not be considered part of the revolutionaries, and therefore will not have oranges thrown at them.

The origin of the tradition of throwing oranges is not well understood, particularly as oranges do not grow in the foothills of the Italian Alps and must be transported from Sicily. In 1994, an estimate of 265,000 kilograms (584,000lb) of oranges was brought to the city, mainly coming from the leftovers of the winter crop in southern Italy.

Sport

The town's football club,A.S.D. Montalto Ivrea,currently plays inPromozione Piemonte.

The Ivrea Rugby Club plays in C1 Piemontese.

Ivrea was a host for the2016,2017,and2024Canoe Slalom World Cup,held at theIvrea Whitewater Stadium.

Twin towns

Ivrea istwinnedwith:

• Rădăuți,Romania
• Monthey,Switzerland
• Lüneburg,Germany

See also

• Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre

External links

• Official website
• Carnival of Ivrea
• Official Website of Modern Architecture of Ivrea
• Pictures of Ivrea
• Pictures of the Carnival and the Battle of the oranges
• U.N.I.T.A.L.S.I. Ivrea