With more than 100 years of Winter Olympics history, no city or ski resort has ever hosted the grand international sporting event more than 70 years apart. That will all change on February 6th, 2026, as the Olympic cauldron is lit at Milan’s San Siro Stadium, igniting the opening of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
For the scenic ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, nestled in the jagged and awe-inspiring Italian Dolomites, it will mark a return to its fabled past, with fond but fleeting memories of the 1956 Winter Olympics. They were 11 memorable days that both influenced and transformed the culture of not only the charming Alpine town and ski tourism in the Dolomites, but also the greater Olympic movement.
