MILAN, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Marco Balich, the creator of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic cauldrons, has appealed to public and private institutions to fund their reactivation, stressing the emotional bond they created with residents and tourists during the Games.
Six months on, the two cauldrons are dismantled and stored in separate warehouses, one in Milan and the other near Cortinad'Ampezzo.
"I think that for much less than one million euros they could be reactivated, complete with lighting and all the associated features," Balich told Reuters.
The Tree of Life, the symbol of Milan Expo 2015, was abandoned for nearly a decade. The institution managing the former Expo area has now decided to acquire it, and it is expected to return to operation next year.
"I hope we do not have to wait 10 years. Milan and Cortina represented a very joyful moment," Balich said.
According to Balich, public bodies cannot be expected to bear the costs of preserving the two symbols.
"I am thinking instead of banking foundations or large private companies. I hope the willingness can be found to make it happen, because Milan deserves it," he added, saying he did not want to join the debate over where the cauldrons should be located.
POSSIBLE LOCATIONS
On social media, people have suggested several possible locations for the Milan cauldron, including the Central railway station, the modern CityLife district and Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper".
Another proposal would be to relocate it to a museum.
There was no comment from a spokesperson for the Milan mayor, Giuseppe Sala.
Cortina Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi said: "We are still assessing where to place it, as keeping it outdoors would involve significant maintenance costs."
The two installations were unveiled during the February 6 opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, co-hosted by Milan and Cortina.
Modelled on the sun and inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's geometric "Knots", the cauldrons were designed to combine natural harmony with Renaissance engineering.
In Milan, the cauldron was 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 rose from a pedestal in Piazza Dibona, near the church at the heart of the Dolomite resort's historic centre.
A version of the cauldron from the Paris 2024 Olympics, suspended from a hot-air balloon, has been displayed again in the city's Tuileries Gardens during the past two summers.
"In Paris it has become a collective ritual that recalls a very special moment for the city and for all French people," Balich said.
(Reporting by Giancarlo NavachEditing by Keith Weir)
