Winter Olympics 2026: 10,001 Torchbearers Begin 12,000km Journey Through Italy's 110 Provinces

The Olympic flame for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games has embarked on an ambitious 63-day journey across Italy, with 10,001 torchbearers scheduled to carry it through all 110 provinces before the opening ceremony on 6th February.

The torch relay officially began on Saturday in Rome's Stadio dei Marmi, exactly two months before the Games commence. Olympic swimming champion Gregorio Paltrinieri was the first to carry the torch, passing it to fencer Elisa Di Francisca and high jump champion Gianmarco Tamberi in a ceremony that honoured Italy's Olympic legacy.

The flame arrived in Italy on 4 December after being lit in Olympia, Greece, on 26 November, following ancient Olympic tradition. Tennis player Jasmine Paolini, who won doubles gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, accompanied the flame on its flight from Athens to Rome's Fiumicino Airport.

In a symbolic moment at the opening ceremony, Giancarlo Peris, who was the final torchbearer for the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, handed the lantern containing the Olympic flame to Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 president Giovanni Malagò to light the cauldron. Italian President Sergio Mattarella had earlier lit the torch relay celebration cauldron at Piazza del Quirinale on Friday, with International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry in attendance.

A Journey Through Italy's Heritage

The relay will cover 12,000 kilometres over 63 days, visiting more than 300 municipalities and stopping in 60 celebration cities. The route has been meticulously planned to showcase Italy's rich cultural heritage, passing through all 20 regions and 61 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

From Rome, the torch will travel through Tuscany before visiting the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, then returning to the mainland. The flame will bring festive cheer to Naples on Christmas Day and welcome the New Year in Bari. On 26 January, it will return to Cortina d'Ampezzo to commemorate 70 years since the town hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics.

The journey includes extraordinary highlights along the route, such as an ascent to Punta Gnifetti on Monte Rosa at 4,554 metres, a visit to the Marmore Falls, and a passage along Venice's Grand Canal. Each evening, city celebrations will be held at around 7:30 pm, with the final torchbearer of the day publicly lighting the cauldron on stage.

Torchbearers From All Walks of Life

The 10,001 torchbearers represent diverse sectors of Italian society, including sports, culture, film, and civil society. On the first day alone, 164 torchbearers participated, including Olympic swimming champion Gregorio Paltrinieri, tennis player Matteo Berrettini, basketball legends Gigi Datome and Andrea Bargnani, former motorcycle racer Max Biaggi, film director Giuseppe Tornatore, and footballers such as Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Applications to become a torchbearer closed on 30 June 2025, and the selection process for all 10,001 participants is ongoing. Selected torchbearers have been receiving confirmation emails since August, with notifications continuing until the relay concludes on 6 February 2026.

'The Olympic Torch Relay is the moment when the Games enter people's homes, spreading the magic of winter sports across Italy,' said Andrea Varnier, CEO of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. 'This 'Greatest Journey' is the moment when Milano Cortina 2026 will embrace our country, uniting Italy in a celebration of national pride.'

Coca-Cola and Eni serve as presenting partners of the Olympic Torch Relay, accompanying the flame on its entire journey with activations and special events to make each stage more engaging.

The relay will culminate at Milan's San Siro Stadium on 6 February 2026, when the final torchbearer lights the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will run from 6 to 22 February, followed by the Paralympic Winter Games from 6 to 15 March.