Founded by the Romans under the name "Eporedia," the town became the center of theMarch of Ivrea during the Middle Ages and briefly served as the capital of theKingdom of Italy in the 11th century. It later became part of the possessions of theHouse of Savoy. In the 20th century, Ivrea gained international recognition as the headquarters of theOlivetti company, a pioneer in technological innovation, known for creating some of the firstcomputers. Thanks to Olivetti, the town also became a center of architectural innovation, with the construction of severalmodernist buildings that reflected the era's progressive spirit. On July 1, 2018, the site which is known as "Industrial City of the 20th Century" was listed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[3]
The town is well known for theIvrea Carnival, which features the famous Orange Battle as its main event, as well as for its ancient and modern architecture, including landmarks such asIvrea Castle,Ivrea Cathedral and the Olivetti complex. It is also a growing hub for sports, particularlycanoeing andkayaking, having hosted several international competitions.
TheLatin name of the city wasEporedia, likely of Celtic origin. The toponym may derive from the Celtic deityEpona, specifically from the contraction of the Gaulish termsepo (related to theAncient Greekhippos, meaning "horse") andreda ("four-wheeled cart"). This suggests that Ivrea was already a strategic road station for horse-drawn carriages accessing theCisalpine region. Over time, the name evolved through various forms, includingYporegia,Iporeia,Ivreia, and eventuallyIvrea.
Ivrea and its surroundings have been inhabited since theNeolithic era; theCelts are 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 Republic founded in 100 BC, probably built to guard one of the traditional invasion routes into northern Italy over theAlps. ItsLatin name 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,Arduin conquered 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 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 Bonaparte entered 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, mechanicalcalculators and, later,computers.[4] 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.[citation needed]
TheArduino electronic platform was created at theInteraction Design Institute Ivrea,[5] 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."[3]
Ivrea is situated at an altitude of approximately 267 meters above sea level, not far from the entrance to the Aosta Valley. It is crossed by the Dora Baltea river, a tributary of the Po, and is located in an area shaped by a large Pleistocene glacier, which over time transported numerous debris that formed a series of moraine hills, including the Serra d'Ivrea, which collectively form theIvrea Morainic Amphitheatre.
Following the retreat of the last glaciation (around 9700 BC), the area became rich in numerous moraine lakes, which still surround the town to this day, includingLake Sirio,Lake San Michele (towards Chiaverano),Lake Pistono in Montalto Dora,Lake Nero (between Montalto Dora and Borgofranco), andLake Campagna in Cascinette. A little farther away, there are alsoLake Viverone (on the border with the province of Biella) andLake Candia (in the lower Canavese area), along with several other small bodies of water scattered around.
A strategic road junction since ancient times, Ivrea provides access to Valchiusella to the west and the Aosta Valley to the north. To the east, roads lead to Vercelli and Milan, while to the northeast, a route connects to Biella, which is only 20 km away in a straight line and 35 km by road.
Ivrea's historic center climbs a hill leading to Ivrea Castle and the Cathedral, while the modern part extends across the plain, occupying both banks of the Dora Baltea and the surrounding areas.
The climate is temperate, mild, and relatively humid. Winters are rarely harsh, with an average of 90 nights of frost per year.
The average temperature in January is 1.2°C, while in July, it reaches 23.1°C. The average annual precipitation amounts to 982 mm, with May being the wettest month (125 mm) and January the driest, with the least rain/snow (32 mm). This precipitation pattern defines two drier seasons, summer and winter, and two wetter seasons, spring and autumn.
Notably, in recent years, summer temperatures have consistently exceeded 35°C during the afternoon hours in July.
The town's population peaked in the 1970s, coinciding with the height of the Olivetti company. As of 2021, Ivrea had a population of 22,604. By December 31, 2020, foreign residents amounted to 2,046 people and made up 8.88% of the population, with the largest communities being fromRomania (882 residents) andMorocco (281 residents).
Since the 15th century, Ivrea has also been home to a small yet significant Jewish community. Evidence of its history includes the 19th-century synagogue and the Jewish cemetery.
The castle (14th century)The Cathedral of IvreaUnknown 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.
Ivrea Cathedral, 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 aBaroque style. 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.
The Museum Pier Alessandro Garda has some interesting archaeological findings and a collection of Japanese art pieces. It is located on the largePiazza Pietro Ottinetti.
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 withhemp plants, the symbol ofCanavese.
TheTallianti Tower, dating from the 12th-13th century, andSanto Stefano Tower, dating from the 11th century. This Romanesque bell tower is the remains of St. Stephen Abbey, built in 1041 by theBenedictine order.
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 festival of 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.
The core celebration of Ivreacarnival centres 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.
AMugnaia is 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 woman and 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.[citation needed]
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 (584,000 lb) of oranges was brought to the city, mainly coming from the leftovers of the winter crop in southern Italy.
Eporedian cuisine is particulary appreciated for its desserts, including traditional Eporediesi biscuits, and patisserie cakes likeTorta 900 and Polenta d'Ivrea. Fagioli grassi (Piedmontese:faseuj grass) is another traditional dish from the town.
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