ROME, Dec 07 (V7N) — Italy officially launched the torch relay for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Saturday, exactly two months before the opening ceremony scheduled for February 6. The relay began at Rome’s historic Stadio dei Marmi, where Olympic swimming champion Gregorio Paltrinieri carried the torch to inaugurate the nationwide journey.

The torch will travel 12,000 kilometers (nearly 7,500 miles), passing through all 110 Italian provinces before reaching Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium for the opening ceremony. A total of 10,001 torchbearers will take part in the relay, symbolizing widespread national participation.

Paltrinieri, who won gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics and holds five Olympic medals, expressed pride in participating despite being a Summer athlete. “It’s a pleasure to be part of the Olympic movement even if it’s Winter Olympics,” he said. He previously carried Italy’s flag alongside his partner Rossella Fiamingo at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games.

The relay’s opening also featured Giancarlo Peris, the final torchbearer of the 1960 Rome Olympics. Now 84, Peris carried the Olympic flame in a lantern to formally commence the event. “I didn’t think I would be here today,” he said, reflecting on the honor more than six decades later.

Throughout Saturday, several prominent Italian athletes joined the relay, including retired fencer Elisa Di Francisca, Tokyo 2020 high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi, tennis star Matteo Berrettini, former NBA player Andrea Bargnani, and former motorcycle racing legend Max Biaggi. Actor Ricky Tognazzi added a cinematic touch by carrying the torch on a white Vespa, echoing the classic 1953 film Roman Holiday.

Italian police reported that they prevented two groups of pro-Palestinian protesters from approaching the relay route, ensuring the event proceeded without disruptions.

The two-month relay will include 60 celebrations across major cities, with stops in Naples for Christmas and in Bari for New Year’s Eve. It will pass through Turin—host of the 2006 Winter Olympics—on January 11, reach Verona on January 18, and travel through Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 26, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Games held there.

A special cauldron will be lit in Cortina on the night of the opening ceremony. The torch route will also highlight Italy’s rich cultural heritage by passing all 61 of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Giovanni Malagò, president of the organizing committee, described the relay as “a giant two-month advertisement” showcasing Italy’s history and diversity.

The Milan Cortina 2026 Games will span a wide region of northern Italy, with events distributed across multiple host cities. Skating sports will take place in Milan, men’s Alpine skiing and ski mountaineering in Bormio, while Cortina will host women’s Alpine skiing, sliding events, and curling. Snowboarding and freestyle skiing will be held in Livigno, and ski jumping in Predazzo.

The relay continues Sunday in Viterbo and moves to Terni on Monday as excitement builds nationwide for the first Olympic Games hosted by Italy in 20 years.

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