Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 17, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe Olympic torch will travel 12,000 km across Italy, visiting iconic sites like the Colosseum and Grand Canal, before the Winter Olympics in February 2026.
ROME (Reuters) -The Olympic torch will go on a 12,000 km (7,455 mile) journey across Italy in the two months leading up to the Winter Olympics in February, Games organisers said on Monday.
The relay will take in famous tourist spots including the Colosseum in Rome and the Grand Canal in Venice, as well as stopping in southern cities such as Palermo and Naples to spark excitement in areas where winter sports are not a major feature.
The Games will be co-hosted by Milan and the Dolomite resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo and run from February 6-22.
"Every step of the relay through our cities will remind the world of the power of sport to build bridges and break down barriers," said Giovanni Malago, president of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, adding the journey would celebrate "the essence of Italy."
The torch relay will begin on November 26 when the flame is lit in Olympia, the Greek home of the ancient Games.
The flame will be handed over to Italian officials in Athens on December 4 and begin its Italian trip from Rome two days later. It will be in Naples for Christmas, see in the New Year in the southern city of Bari, and reach Cortina on January 26 – exactly 70 years after the opening ceremony of the 1956 Games.
The relay will start each day at 7:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) and conclude around 12 hours later with the lighting of the cauldron in the final city of the day. It will conclude in Milan, entering the San Siro stadium on the evening of February 6.
(Writing by Keith Weir, editing by Alvise Armellini)
An Olympic torch relay is a ceremonial event where a torch is carried by runners from the location where the Olympic flame is lit to the host city of the Olympic Games.
The Olympic torch symbolizes peace, unity, and friendship among nations, and its relay promotes the values of the Olympic Games.
The Winter Olympics is a major international sporting event that occurs every four years, featuring winter sports such as skiing, ice hockey, and figure skating.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation is responsible for organizing the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
The Olympic flame represents the spirit of the Games and is a symbol of hope, enlightenment, and the pursuit of excellence.
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