The Olympic torch for the 2026 Winter Olympics will undertake a sweeping 12,000-kilometre relay across Italy in the months leading up to the Games, organisers announced on Monday.
The flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece, on November 26. It will be handed over to Italian officials in Athens on December 4 and begin its Italian leg in Rome on December 6. The relay will then culminate in Milan on February 6, the opening day of the Games.
Route highlights include the Colosseum in Rome and the Grand Canal in Venice. The torch will also visit southern cities such as Palermo and Naples, regions less associated with winter sports, to promote nationwide engagement.
The Games themselves will be co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo and run from February 6 to 22, 2026. The final relay leg will enter San Siro stadium in Milan for the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Giovanni Malagò, president of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, described the relay as “a celebration of the essence of Italy … every step will remind the world of the power of sport to build bridges and break down barriers”.
With more than 60 days of torch-carrying across 110 provinces and every region included, the relay sets a bold tone for the Games.
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