Following the traditional lighting at Olympia, Greece, the Olympic torch is set to arrive in Italy, where it will be welcomed with an official ceremony at the Quirinale—Rome's presidential palace—in the presence of President Sergio Mattarella. The arrival is scheduled for Thursday evening, December 4, a highly symbolic occasion that will mark the start of the torch's journey across the country that will host the 2026 Winter Games. The actual relay will commence two days later, on Saturday, December 6, and will be conducted by one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Italian sports: Gregorio Paltrinieri, Olympic and world champion, and distinguished European swimming icon. He will be the first torchbearer to run on Italian territory, following his colleagues who carried the torch from Athens, including cyclist Filippo Ganna, a time trial master, and tennis star Jasmine Paolini, who emerged at the WTA tour this year. Paltrinieri will be joined by personalities representing fundamentally diverse but equally symbolic stories. Achille Polonara, a Euroleague basketball player fighting leukemia, will be there, as will former fencing champion Elisa Di Francisca, who won an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012, and Gianmarco Tamberi, an Olympic and world high jump champion best known in the United States for his iconic tie with Qatari Barshim at the Tokyo Games. The torch will then be carried by prominent figures from very different backgrounds: tennis player Matteo Berrettini, a Wimbledon semifinalist; former NBA and Euroleague stars Gigi Datome and Andrea Bargnani; motorcycle legend Max Biaggi; Oscar-winning Giuseppe Tornatore, director of Cinema Paradiso; singers Achille Lauro and Noemi; actress Claudia Gerini; and designer Lavinia Biagiotti, heir to an historic Italian fashion house. The arrival of the torch signals the start of a cultural journey that will bring athletes, artists, and public personalities together to celebrate Italian identity in front of the globe in preparation for the forthcoming Games.