Italians excited, proud to host Olympic Games as cauldron lights up Milan

VIDEO SHOWS: VIEW OF THE CAULDRON LIT UP AT THE ARCO DELLA PACE IN MILAN FOLLOWING THE MILANO CORTINA 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY SHOWS: MILAN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 6, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. OLYMPIC CAULDRON LIT IN ARCO DELLA PACE 2. OLYMPIC FLAME THROUGH PHONE CAMERA SCREEN 3. LIT CAULDRON 4. PEOPLE DOING SELFIE WITH CAULDRON IN BACKGROUND 5. PEOPLE IN FRONT OF ARCO DELLA PACE 6. WOMAN DOING SELFIE 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) MILAN RESIDENT, GIOVANNI DI BERNARDI, 55, SAYING:     "What do we think of this Olympics? A new Milan, a new city, a sporting event that involves the entire world and smooths out all differences. A great start to 2026, I'd say. What more can we say? Let's enjoy it." 8. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) LOMBARDY RESIDENT, EMILIA CARNAGHI, 58, SAYING:     "I think it will be ten exciting days where you'll experience a magical city.” 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MILAN RESIDENT, GRETA DI MAIDA, 18, SAYING:      "The fire. Everything is lit up. And it made just the magic work. I'm so proud of my nation. I'm so proud of Italy and I just hope that every athlete can do their best and bring our nation to victory once again. I'm so happy and I wish that everybody has so much fun. I hug everybody and I hope that you guys enjoy the Olympics.” 10. VARIOUS OF OLYMPIC RINGS IN FRONT OF ARCO DELLA PACE 11. LIT CAULDRON STORY: Italians beamed with pride as the Olympics got underway Friday (February 6) with the lighting of two cauldrons — one in Milan and one in Cortina d'Ampezzo, marking the first time in history that the Games have begun with dual host-city flames. The cauldrons built for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics pay tribute to the sun and are inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s geometric "Knots" and are meant to blend natural harmony with human engineering, reflecting the Renaissance artist’s long association with Milan. Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two of Italy's greatest Alpine skiers, shared lighting it in Milan and Pyeongchang 2018 gold medallist Sofia Goggia, who is aiming for another skiing medal in this Games, did the honors in Cortina. The flames sits at the center of the installations, which are made from aeronautical aluminum and open and close through a system of 244 articulation points and more than 1,400 mechanical components. Their diameter extends from 3.1 meters when closed to 4.5 meters when fully open. The flame is housed in a glass and metal container. The Olympic cauldron in Milan has been installed beneath the city’s neoclassical triumphal arch in Piazza Sempione, known as the Arco della Pace. The structure is where, in 1859, Napoleon III and Vittorio Emanuele II entered Milan after the Battle of Magenta, a victory over Austrian forces that led to the liberation of the city. (Production: Alex Fraser, Conal Quinn)

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