The emotion is growing for the passing of the Olympic torch in Milan-Cortina 2026. While waiting for the start of the Olympic competitions involving skiing, luge, snowboarding and other specialties, the flame that will kick off the Olympics travels throughout Italy to convey the Olympic spirit. A journey that will also see Romagna and Ravennate as protagonists in the early days of 2026. In particular, Ravenna, Faenza and Cervia will be the cities crossed by the flame. Here’s where and when you can admire the Olympic torch.
The role of the Olympic flame
The Olympic torch is in fact the means of transport of the Olympic flame during the relay that takes it from the place of lighting (Olympia, Greece) to the place where the Olympics will be celebrated. The Milan-Cortina torch journey began on November 26, with the opening ceremony of the journey involving the Italian legends Stefania Belmondo and Armin Zoeggeler. After nine days in Greece, the flame then arrived in Rome on 6 December, when the stages of the prestigious flame began in Italy. A real journey across the country to convey the spirit of the Olympics while waiting for the start of the Games, which will be held on 6 February.
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In total, 12 thousand kilometers will be covered in 63 days, with 60 stage cities and, above all, 10,001 torchbearers involved in the passing of the Olympic Torch until the opening of the Winter Olympic Games, with the opening ceremony on 6 February at the San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan. The Olympic torch relay will see among its protagonists male and female athletes from Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, champions of both the summer and winter Olympic Games, but also well-known faces from entertainment and stories of daily inspiration for everyone.
The route in the Ravenna area
There will be two days in particular that will see the province of Ravenna as the protagonist of the Olympic torch route. We start on January 6th, the day of the Epiphany. After passing through Cesena and Forlì, the flame will reach Faenza. Here the passage is scheduled starting from 1.47pm from Porta delle Chiavi, in Borgo Durbecco. From here a relay will start featuring fifteen torchbearers, each of whom will have the task of carrying the “sacred fire” for a fraction of 200 metres. The overall route will run for three kilometers along the internal Via Emilia, allowing the public to watch along the edges of the road and admire one of the most iconic symbols of sport up close. The relay will continue without stopping, alternating runners until it reaches the end of the urban route, located in via Emilia Ponente at the “Road of wines and flavors” roundabout. At this point, the flame will take leave of Faenza to continue its itinerary towards Imola and Bologna. On the Olympics website, the Faenza stage is expected to end at 2.29pm, for a total of approximately 40 minutes of travel.
The following day the journey of the flame will depart from Cesenatico and arrive first in Cervia and then in Ravenna, before heading towards Comacchio and Ferrara. In Cervia the passage of the flame is expected from 11.37 to 12.27. The start of the stage is set in via Caduti per la Libertà, next to the sports facilities and behind the Palazzetto dello Sport which this year hosts the A1 volleyball series. The torch will proceed north, then turn into via Milazzo to pass along the seafront, then take via dei Mille to enter the historic center through Corso Mazzini and Piazza Garibaldi. Then the route will cross via Di Vittorio and viale Milano to enter the heart of Milano Marittima, passing through the Rotonda I Maggio and concluding the stage in via Jelenia Gora. A route of approximately 5 kilometres, in which at least 25 torchbearers could be used, considering journeys of 200 meters per athlete.
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On the same day the flame reaches Ravenna where, however, two distinct stages are planned. A first passage (however indicated on the institutional website with the same time as the stop in Cervia, from 11.37 to 12.27), is in fact scheduled at the Eni factory in via Baiona. A ritual visit, as Eni is one of the main sponsors of the Olympic torch journey. From 2.15pm to 3.45pm the passage to the center of Ravenna is scheduled. A total stop of an hour and a half to honor the city of mosaics. The start is expected in Darsena, on the corner with via Magazzini Posteriori. The flame will go around the head of the canal, then passing via Antico Squero, then via delle Industrie, passing over the Teodorico bridge, then going down via di Roma. Then the turn into Viale Farini, the passage in front of the station, then Via Pallavicini, Via Alberoni, again onto Via di Roma and then Via Mariani, to then enter via the vault of Piazza Garibaldi into Piazza del Popolo, where there will be a brief stop for the lighting of a brazier placed between the two columns of the square, and the greeting of the mayor Alessandro Barattoni. The route will then proceed in the historic center through via IV Novembre, via Cavour, with a stop at the Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (via Argentario, via Galla Placidia, via Manfredo Fant), then passing next to Porta Adriana to continue along via Maggiore, at the corner of via Canalazzo. Here the Olympic torch will finally bid farewell to Ravenna. Here too, a route of approximately 5 kilometers is expected, with the use of 30 torchbearers.
