Shrove Monday

 

In the morning, the carnival characters start off from Piazza di Città and proceed to the main squares of each of the town's five districts, where a couple of newly-weds strike the first blow with a pickaxe to make the holes for the erection of the scarli.

 

     

 

 

These are tall poles entwined with heather and topped by a flag, and are regarded as symbols of the freedom of the town that provides the leitmotiv of the carnival. The involvement of a married couple serves to emphasize the rights of the family in the face of arbitrary interference.

 

 

The battle of the oranges continues throughout the town during the afternoon and the air is full of the bitter odour of crushed fruit. The absence of a procession enables the prowess of the throwers to be duly admired by the anxious crowds watching the changing fortunes of the two sides.

The Mugnaia and the General with their entourages, too, go on foot to visit the old folk in their rest homes, hospitals and the parties given for children in various parts of the town.