Exactly 70 years after the Opening Ceremony of the 1956 Winter Games, the Olympic Flame returned to Cortina d’Ampezzo, where in eleven days’ time — on Friday 6 February — the 25th edition of the Winter Olympics will begin.

At Largo delle Poste, following a route involving 34 torchbearers (15 in the final segment), Cortina welcomed the cauldron in a celebration open to the entire community. Lighting the flame were three Italian athletes who competed at the 1956 Games: speed skaters Carlo Calzà and Manuela Angeli, and alpine skier Bruno Alberti.

It was a day of celebration for Cortina, during which the official “Anniversary 1956–2026” poster for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, designed by Italian artist Pierpaolo Rovero, was also unveiled on the stage of the Olympic Flame Relay city celebration.