If you’re following this year's Winter Olympic Games, you know that Friday is a big deal: it’s opening day.
For scheduling reasons, the games actually started on Wednesday, but the ceremony – slotted for 8pm Italy time – marks the official beginning of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
The event takes place at Milan's San Siro stadium, with a star-studded line-up of performances, from Andrea Bocelli to Mariah Carey. The event is sure to be nostalgic, considering it’s the swan song of the historic 100-year-old stadium, fondly dubbed "Football's La Scala".
As usual, you can expect the Parade of Nations and cauldron lighting – or should we say cauldrons, since, for the first time in Olympic history, there will be two: one in front of the Arco della Pace in Milan and another in Cortina d'Ampezzo’s Piazza Dibona.
Tickets to the San Siro ceremony are sold out, but the secondary ceremony in Cortina (running concurrently to the main ceremony) is free and open to the public.
A quick guide to Italy’s 2026 Winter Olympics
As if things couldn’t get busy enough with the Olympic fever, it’s also Carnevale season in Italy.
We’re heading into the full swing of activities next week, the second half of the Carnival schedule, which is when the countdown to Lent begins and celebrations get underway in earnest.
If you’re not in Venice for the celebrations, there’s no need to worry about missing out. Even though thoughts of Carnevale in Italy conjure images of luxurious masquerade balls in Venetian palaces, Venice certainly isn’t the only place that knows how to throw a carnival party.
Though most Carnival celebrations share similar themes – traditional masks and parades – there’s always a regional spin to the festivities.
You may already know about the annual orange fight in Ivrea and the satirical parade floats of politicians and celebrities in Viareggio. But have you heard about the folkloric ‘bull fight’ in Offida, or the gnocchi-themed Carnival in Verona (presided over by none other than Papà del Gnocco, ‘Father Dumpling’)?
Beyond Venice: 16 other carnivals in Italy
Another same-but-different part of Carnival celebrations nationwide is the specialty food. The masked revelries and flamboyant parades run on delicious fritters, which overflow in pasticcerie across Italy this month.
The most common Carnevale sweets are chiacchiere – what we call frappe in Rome, but you may also know them by one of their many regional nicknames, such as cenci, bugie, sfrappole or crostoli. They’re thin squares of sweet dough deep fried until crunchy and dusted with powdered sugar.
But my personal favourite is the castagnole, literally ‘chestnuts’, named for their shape.
These fried dough balls may resemble donut holes, but they’re much more nuanced. The dough is flavoured with lemon zest, and they’re served rolled in sugar granules, dipped in honey, or with powdered sugar. Depending on the region, you can find them plain or stuffed with chocolate, cream or Nutella.
Are you sensing a theme here? (Everything is deliciously fried and full of sugar.)
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