The Olympic torch began its long journey across Italy on Saturday morning, departing from Rome’s Stadio dei Marmi, one of the world’s most admired sports venues, dedicated to track legend Pietro Mennea. The relay opened with a powerful sequence: Olympic champions Gregorio Paltrinieri, Elisa Di Francisca, and Gianmarco Tamberi passed the flame alongside basketball star Achille Polonara, who is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia.
From there, Rome became the stage for a parade of well-known figures and everyday citizens chosen as torchbearers. Achille Lauro carried the flame, followed by Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore at the Altare della Patria, tennis star Matteo Berrettini in Piazza Cavour, singer Noemi and actress Claudia Gerini in Piazza di Spagna, while Max Biaggi and former basketball standout Andrea Bargnani completed other segments.
On Sunday, the torch left the capital, traveling along the Appian Way, where Abebe Bikila famously won the 1960 Olympic marathon barefoot. In total, 10,001 torchbearers will participate and 60 host cities will welcome the relay. The flame will reach Naples for Christmas, ring in the New Year in Bari, and return to Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 26, marking 70 years since the 1956 Winter Games. The journey will conclude in Milan on February 6, when the flame enters San Siro Stadium to open the 2026 Winter Olympics.