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Milan’s San Siro Stadium—the city’s landmark sporting venue that opened a century ago this year (and which is set to be decommissioned after these Olympic Games)—was at overflow capacity. Not only in the stands that hold 80,000 people, but also on the grounds and walkways, too—every tunnel, ingress point, and food stand had a line, with mostly Italian insignia on view, though there was tons of American regalia too. I might have actually seen more stars and stripes, but, being American, I might’ve been looking out for the red, white, and blue more than other national motifs. Soon, and slightly to everyone’s surprise (as the working line has been, “This is Italy, you never know”), the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games started at 8:00 PM, Central European Time, on the dot.
I was fortunate to have been offered a ticket via Giorgio Armani, one of this particular Games’ partners. The house’s EA7 Emporio Armani line is the official outfitter of Team Italia. After finishing half an Aperol Spritz at the Armani Hotel, our group—including the Italian supermodel Mariacarla Boscono in an Armani jacket and the actress Diane Kruger in a scarlet Armani bolero—headed forth. We had to walk a few blocks to our ride because of road closures. A high profile crowd cramming into a bus? “This is Italy.”
We’d only just settled into Section 155 in the San Siro when the ceremony began. At that point, it was still warm enough outside (probably in the high 40s, Fahrenheit). We nursed Coronas from mini bottles and watched as a balletic dance number commenced. It featured set pieces of XL sized faux Greco and Roman statuary framed in white neon, which felt very 1990s gay Italian discoteca, which I liked. The principal winged and whisked about, the vibes were high. Our seats were ostensibly front row, but this was one of those situations in which the first few rows actually diminished the view, given the huge expanse of the space. We turned our heads upward to the screens. Apparently, this dance was a tribute to Athens–the origin of the Olympiad.
As the launch number started to wrap, enormous faux paint tubes were lowered on wires into the San Siro’s vast aerie. Characters in every shade of the rainbow—living frescoes and Venetian circus troupers, I think—took the spiral stage as “paint” (ribbons) spilled from the airborne tubes. This was cool and irreverent and graphic and creative—it felt the most Italian of the stagecraft we’d see.
Then it was time for the headliner, at least to those watching from and in the U.S.: Mariah Carey. Carey, like me, is from Long Island, New York, and, also like me, she has no Italian heritage, but no problemo! She is pomp and circumstance personified, which is what really matters in moments like these. Plus, she’s highly associated with wintry months thanks to her holiday bangers—I thought for a second she might layer in a lyric or a sample from “All I Want for Christmas,” but no. Call it a missed opportunity. Carey sang the Italian song “Volare,” which was originally composed by Domenico Modugno in 1958. She hybridized that with one of her own: “Nothing Is Impossible.” Whether pre-recorded or not, she also hit a trio of her signature whistle notes, which had the whole stadium screaming. Carey wore a white Roberto Cavalli by Fausto Puglisi dress with a feathered stole. And, importantly: $15 million worth of diamonds from the company Levuma. When she was done, the lights dimmed but she stayed in place. Six handlers then scurried out to escort her away. I wonder if she’s already on a jet home.
One of the ceremony’s most stylish moments occurred soon thereafter during the presentation of the flag to the guard of honor. Sixty models were dressed in Armani pantsuits for this portion, their green, white, and red colors mirroring Italy’s banner. And like Gisele Bundchen before her at the Rio de Janeiro Games, Vittoria Ceretti, another Italian supe, walked out last as the flag bearer. She wore a white Armani Privé gown, made fully custom for the occasion. It felt resonant, especially considering Mr. Armani’s recent passing. He actually had an early hand in designing part of the ceremony.
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At this point, we needed to stretch our legs, so a few of us braved another line for some snacks and more beer. “I think we need 15 of them,” said Boscono. While waiting, I asked her if she’s good at any winter sports. “No, obviously,” she laughed but then added that she loves figure skating, and ski jumping. “The danger of that. It’s a thrill.” After the extreme chaos of ordering 15 beers (and 15 hot dogs) in a crowd of probably a hundred people trying to do the same thing, we made it back to the Parade of Athletes just as Canada was making its lap. I vaguely hoped (desperately wished) Hudson Williams would strut as Shane Hollander, but alas, another missed opportunity.
Some moments during this portion–always my favorite of any opening ceremony, regardless of the theatrics before and after–stood out. I walked around the San Siro’s lower perimeter and caught Brazil in their seats. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the buzzy alpine skier of Norwegian and Brazilian descent, looked cool in his Moncler fit, which the designer Oskar Metsavaht helped design. Haiti’s athletes were in Cortina, where a simultaneous parade was occurring (it was telecast in the San Siro, too). Their colorful and painterly pieces designed by Stella Jean have been getting a ton of attention online and for very good reason—they were great. When Ukraine emerged, the cheers were extra loud and extra long. When Germany arrived, I asked Kruger, who is German, if there were any medal contenders from her home country. There must be, she said, “Look at how many people they brought!”
Though Andrea Bocelli would perform a moving “Nessun Dorma” post-parade, the moment that’ll stick with me most, came from one of the speeches. Giovanni Malagò, the former president of the Italian National Olympic Committee and current member of the IOC, spoke of the pride he had in his country and his people for pulling these Games together, and in the specialness of the Games themselves as a unifier and an emblem of heritage. Near the end of his address, he used a famous quote–though one I’d not heard before–from the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler: “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
With that, the Olympic torch was lit, the pyrotechnics set off, and the 25th Winter Games had begun.
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