{"id":39755,"date":"2026-02-23T18:33:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T17:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/?p=39755"},"modified":"2026-03-24T15:58:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:58:56","slug":"milano-cortina-2026-olympic-apotheosis-at-the-opera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/milano-cortina-2026-olympic-apotheosis-at-the-opera\/","title":{"rendered":"Milano Cortina 2026: Olympic apotheosis at the Opera"},"content":{"rendered":"

Milano Cortina 2026 will be remembered as the first Winter Olympics to feature venues spread across three different regions. This uniqueness continued with the closing ceremony, which also broke new ground by taking place in a historic venue, namely the Verona Arena. The city of Romeo and Juliet thus became the city of love… and opera.<\/p>\n

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From Milan to Verona<\/b>, it’s just a stone’s throw… or rather a region.<\/p>\n

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While the former<\/strong> is the capital of Lombardy<\/strong>, the latter<\/strong>, associated worldwide with Romeo and Juliet<\/strong>, is the capital of Veneto<\/strong>. It is also a magnet for fans of popular opera<\/strong>, with the Arena Di Verona festival<\/strong> held there every year since 1913, from mid-June to early September.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Despite the distance (105 miles)<\/b> between them, the two cities saw their hearts beat as one on Sunday, February 22, 2026, that of opera lovers and Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.<\/p>\n

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During the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the love of both was combined with a spectacle worthy of La Scala, featuring its mythical characters, all introduced by Rigoletto, the tragic jester from Giuseppe Verdi’s eponymous opera.<\/p>\n

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An ancient site dating back to the 1st century<\/h3>\n

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Long before the tragic passion of its 16th-century lovers<\/strong>, Verona<\/strong> was a Roman province, renowned in particular for its ancient amphitheater. Built in 30 AD<\/strong>, it could accommodate nearly 30,000 spectators.<\/p>\n

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This Roman arena, one of the best preserved in Italy<\/strong>, welcomes up to 20,000 spectators on the evenings of the Arena Di Verona festival<\/strong>, a mecca for transalpine opera.<\/p>\n

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The Verona Arena gained its operatic reputation in 1822<\/b> with the performance of Rossini’s lyrical prelude before its first opera season in 1856. But it was not until August 10, 1913,<\/b> on the occasion of the centenary of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth<\/b>, that the festival really took off. In 1947<\/b>, Maria Callas<\/b> even performed Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda.<\/p>\n

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Alessandro Carrarini\/Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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An art form recognized by UNESCO<\/h3>\n

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The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics<\/b> had already offered a glimpse of that proudly Italian cultural phenomenon that is opera<\/b>, with its three creative geniuses: Verdi, Rossini, and Puccini.<\/strong> Elevated to the status of pop mascots, they performed a choreographed routine to the Italian pop sounds of the Milano-Cortina anthem, itself based on Righeira’s Vamos a la Playa.<\/p>\n

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Rigoletto as master of ceremonies \u00a9 <\/span>Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Entitled \u201cBeauty in Action\u201d or<\/i><\/b> \u201cA Night at the Opera\u201d<\/i><\/b>, the closing ceremony paid tribute to this lyrical art form, which has been listed as part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2024.<\/b><\/p>\n

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In front of millions of television viewers watching this colorful and medal-filled show<\/b>, the most iconic characters from the classical repertoire<\/b> came back to life. Emerging from his box and catapulted into the role of master of ceremonies, Rigoletto<\/b>, the tragic jester created by Giuseppe Verdi, made his way under the arches of the arena, revealing the backstage of the opera.<\/p>\n

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Madame Butterfly, an ode to devotion and broken hearts by Giacomo Puccini \u00a9 Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Other fictional celebrities made an appearance during the evening, such as the young Japanese woman Cio-Cio San, alias Madame Butterfly<\/b> from Puccini’s opera, the demi-mondaine and impossible love of Alfredo, Violetta<\/b>, heroine of Verdi’s La Traviata, Figaro<\/strong>, the clairvoyant servant who plays tricks on everyone, and Aida<\/strong>, the Ethiopian princess sold into slavery at the Egyptian court. The latter, who appeared in a sculptural golden dress, is closely linked to the history of the venue, as the first edition of the Arena Di Verona festival featured a spectacular performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece.<\/p>\n

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Violetta, Alfredo’s impossible love in Verdi’s La Traviata \u00a9 Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Each character provided an opportunity for creative prowess<\/b> in the design of the various costumes<\/b>. Rigoletto’s outfit, for example, was an authentic contemporary reinterpretation featuring upcycled denim pieces<\/b> from around 40 pairs of jeans and almost as many zippers to create the slits.<\/p>\n

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Passion for Italo-pop<\/h3>\n

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Opera was not the only musical genre honored that evening<\/strong>, far from it. In fact, the parade of athletes served as a pretext to showcase great popular musical hits, most of which were revealed at the famous Italian song festival in San Remo<\/strong>, which takes place from February 24 to 28, 2026.<\/p>\n

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Among them were Tony Renis and Emilio Pericoli’s Quando, Quando, Quando<\/i><\/b>, Paolo Conte’s It’s Wonderful<\/i><\/b>, Ricchi e Poveri’s Sar\u00e0 perch\u00e9 ti amo<\/i><\/b>, and some iconic film soundtracks<\/b> such as l’Estasi dell’ Oro<\/i> by Ennio Morricone and Amarcord<\/i> by Nino Rota<\/b>.<\/p>\n

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The contemporary scene<\/b> was not to be outdone with Ludovico Einaudi’s \u201cExp\u00e9rience\u201d<\/b> performed on the piano.<\/p>\n

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