MILAN, Feb 17 - The fate of the two Olympic cauldrons that have become among the most photographed symbols of the 2026 Winter Games remains unclear, with Milan and Cortina still debating where the structures should stand once the flames are extinguished.
What is certain is that, despite their popularity, neither cauldron will remain where it is. Both installations - unveiled during the February 6 opening ceremony in the first dual-host ignition in Olympic history - will be removed and relocated, officials from the two cities said.
Modeled on the sun and inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's geometric "Knots", the cauldrons were designed to merge natural harmony with Renaissance engineering.
Their flames sit at the heart of structures made from aeronautical aluminum that open and close through 244 articulation points and more than 1,400 mechanical components.
In Milan, the cauldron is suspended beneath the Arco della Pace, the 19th-century triumphal arch marking the spot where Napoleon III and Vittorio Emanuele II entered the city in 1859 after the Battle of Magenta — a victory that helped pave the way for Italy's unification.
Cortina's version rises from a pedestal in Piazza Dibona, near the church at the heart of the Dolomite resort’s historic centre.
Each evening from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., crowds gather at both sites to photograph the cauldrons and watch a four-minute spectacle of lights and music performed at the top of every hour. Families, couples and tourists stop to listen to a soundtrack composed by Roberto Cacciapaglia.
"I WANTED TO SEE IT AGAIN"
"The show was great. I watched it from the back, and it was spectacular," Dominic Bruce, a Games fan from London, told Reuters TV.
Natasha Marchionne returned a second time to watch the performance, saying: "I came yesterday evening to see it, but since I was filming it with my phone, I didn’t fully enjoy it. I really wanted to see it again tonight without filming it, without my phone."
Many visitors are unaware the installations are temporary.
"I did not know it would be removed. As a Milan resident, I think it should remain in the city," said Alessandro, who suggested relocating it to Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper fresco.
Another visitor, Roberto, said it had already become "a symbol" and should remain "somewhere visible and appreciated".
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said the city hoped to keep the cauldron and designer Roberto Balich has floated the idea of launching a petition among residents on where its long-term home should be.
Possible destinations include the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology — which hosts major engineering works — or Palazzo Reale beside the Duomo.
Cortina's mayor, Gianluca Lorenzi, was more definitive.
"It is the symbol of the Olympics and we want to keep and promote it," he said. "I hope it will be in place by next summer; it must become a landmark of Cortina's tourist offering."
He noted that the cauldron from the 1956 Winter Games still sits atop the town’s ice stadium but is too far from the centre to serve as a major attraction.
On Sunday, February 22, after the Olympic closing ceremony, both flames will be temporarily extinguished. The cities will remain without the Olympic flame for several days before a new version, with updated colours and music, is ignited for the final Paralympic celebrations from March 6 to 15.
(Reporting by Giancarlo Navach, Editing by Giselda Vagnoni)
