WWhile the lemon trees will soon be blooming in the south of the country, the north of Italy will be dominated by winter sports in the coming weeks. In fact: more or less the entire north. The 2026 Winter Olympics from February 6th to 22nd are already considered to be games with record-breaking distances. Competitions take place in pretty much every valley that has a tradition of winter sports. The metropolis of Milan in Lombardy and the posh ski resort of Cortina are just the largest anchor points of a show that is spread across eight locations – including the Amphitheater of Verona, the venue for the closing ceremony.