After the emotions of the Olympics, Italy is ready to experience a new, extraordinary chapter of sport and inclusion: from March 6 to 15, the Milano Cortina 2026 will take place.
As with the Olympics, the Paralympics are preceded by a highly symbolic event: the lighting of the Paralympic Flame. The ceremony took place on February 24 in Stoke Mandeville, considered the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, from where the Flame began its journey to Italy, first stopping in Turin.
A journey of inclusion across Italy
The Journey of the Paralympic Flame is a 13-stage, 11-day route involving 501 torchbearers, transforming Italy into a grand stage of collective participation, inclusion, and sharing of Paralympic values.
The planned stages are:
- February 24: Turin
- February 25: Milan
- February 26: Rome
- February 27: Bolzano / Bari
- February 28: Trento
- March 2: Trieste / Naples
- March 3: Cortina / Bologna
- March 4: Venice
- March 5: Padua
- March 6: Verona
Flame Festival and Flame Visit
From February 24 to March 2, the Flame will animate five Flame Festivals in Turin, Milan, Bolzano, Trento, and Trieste: events designed to engage citizens, schools, and associations, celebrating the Paralympic community and its core values.
At the same time, the journey is enriched by Flame Visits, public square events that bring the Flame to central and southern Italy, with stops in Rome, Bari, Naples, and Bologna, further spreading the message of inclusion nationwide.
On March 3, the five Flames from the Flame Festivals will converge in Cortina dâAmpezzo for the symbolic Union Ceremony, creating a single Paralympic Flame.
Towards the Opening Ceremony
After the Union Ceremony in Cortina dâAmpezzo, the journey enters its most exciting phase, crossing numerous towns in Veneto.
On March 4, the Flame passes through Auronzo di Cadore, Pieve di Cadore, Longarone, Belluno, Treviso, and Mestre, reaching Venice, where the first stage celebration takes place, turning the passage into a moment of encounter and sharing with citizens, schools, and associations.
On March 5, the journey continues through Castelfranco Veneto, Asolo, Bassano del Grappa, Thiene, and Vicenza, arriving in Padua, site of the second stage celebration.
On March 6, after passing through Monselice, Rovigo, Legnago, Nogara, and Isola della Scala, the Flame concludes its journey at the Arena di Verona, the symbolic site of the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
From that moment, the Games are officially lit: ten days of sport, emotions, and stories that once again tell the universal value of inclusion.
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