Flame for 2026 Olympic Winter Games Scheduled for 63-Day Journey Across Italy

Organizers for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games have announced the route for the torch relay, as the Olympic flame will pass through all 110 provinces in Italy on a 63-day journey.

The committee presented the 12,000-kilometer (7,455-mile) route on Tuesday, which marks one year from when the flame will be lit in Olympia, Greece. Organizers announced the route at a palace facing the historic Verona Arena, the large Roman amphitheater that will host the Closing Ceremony of the 2026 Games as well as the opening of the Paralympics.

“The Olympic torch relay is the moment when the Games enter peoples’ homes, spreading the magic of winter sports across Italy,” said Andrea Varnier, Milan-Cortina chief executive officer. “This is very important … it’s the only project that literally takes the Olympics in front of millions of people’s houses.”

After being lit in Greece, the flame will arrive in Rome on December 4 and begin its journey across Italy two days later. The flame will travel through Tuscany before going across to the islands of Sardinia and then Sicily, by sea, and returning to the Italian mainland on December 19.

The torch relay will reach Torino — the site of Italy’s last Olympic Games in 2006 — on January 11, before moving to Verona on January 18 and then reach Cortina d’Ampezzo eight days later — on the 70th anniversary of the opening ceremony of the 1956 Winter Olympics there.

The torch will conclude its journey into Milan, entering the San Siro stadium on February 6 for the Opening Ceremony. A total of 10,001 people will participate in the torch relay; details on how to apply to be a torch bearer will be announced in February.

“We will choose the participants focusing on their stories of courage, of those who have had experience of peace, inclusion and respect,” said Maria Laura Iascone, Milan-Cortina ceremonies director.

The Milan-Cortina Games will take place from February 6–22, followed by the Paralympics from March 6–15. The flame for the Paralympics will be lit in the British town of Stoke Mandeville and will be carried by 501 people.

“Every step through our cities will become a moment of celebration and reflection, reminding us of the power of sport to build bridges and break down barriers,” said Giovanni Malagò, Italian Olympic Committee president. “When the flames will travel through our streets, they will touch millions with a unique and unforgettable warmth: the kind only sport can convey.”