Italians excited, proud to host Olympic Games as cauldron lights up Milan

Italians excited, proud to host Olympic Games as cauldron lights up Milan

Italians beamed with pride as the Olympics got underway Friday (February 6) with the lighting of two cauldrons — one in Milan and one in Cortina d'Ampezzo, marking the first time in history that the Games have begun with dual host-city flames.

The cauldrons built for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics pay tribute to the sun and are inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s geometric "Knots" and are meant to blend natural harmony with human engineering, reflecting the Renaissance artist’s long association with Milan.

Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two of Italy's greatest Alpine skiers, shared lighting it in Milan and Pyeongchang 2018 gold medalist Sofia Goggia, who is aiming for another skiing medal in this Games, did the honors in Cortina.

The Olympic cauldron in Milan has been installed beneath the city’s neoclassical triumphal arch in Piazza Sempione, known as the Arco della Pace.

The structure is where, in 1859, Napoleon III and Vittorio Emanuele II entered Milan after the Battle of Magenta, a victory over Austrian forces that led to the liberation of the city. REUTERS

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