"MILAN - Near the spires of the Duomo, the line for the Olympics megastore, sparse for weeks, now stretches into the piazza. Ratings show northern Italians are tuning into the Games in outsize numbers. In a city that initially seemed too sexy for its Olympic shirt, thousands of Milanese and tourists are gathering nightly to ooh and aah at choreographed light displays on the Olympic Cauldron, a Leonardo da Vinci-inspired mechanical bauble suspended inside the Arch of Peace."
"One week into the 2026 Games, something is stirring in this city where the Olympic spirit felt dampened for months. As Team Italy mines gold (and silver and bronze), and a flood of infectiously optimistic athletes and visitors fill the streets (and restaurants, hotels and bars), there's a contagion spreading with the ka-ching of profits, the same one that swept seen-it-all London in 2012 and insouciant Paris in 2024: Belated Olympic Fever."
"Italy's Winter Games so far are notable for a litany of reasons: a mini-outbreak of norovirus; the banning of Ukraine's flag bearer from competition for refusing to forgo a helmet honoring fallen athletes and coaches; the boos for JD Vance. There's strike action plannedby embarrassed Italian journalists at RAI after a politically connected company executive delivered a stream of on-air errors during the Opening Ceremonies, including mistaking the Italian actress Matilda De Angelis for Mariah Carey."
Milan initially showed little enthusiasm for the Olympics, but crowds and interest have surged: the Olympics megastore now has long lines, northern Italy ratings are high, and thousands gather nightly to watch choreographed light displays on a Leonardo da Vinci–inspired mechanical cauldron suspended inside the Arch of Peace. One week into the 2026 Games, Team Italy's medal performances and an influx of optimistic athletes and visitors have driven increased local enthusiasm and commercial gains reminiscent of London 2012 and Paris 2024. The Games have also seen a norovirus mini-outbreak, the banning of Ukraine's flag bearer, boos for JD Vance, and planned strike action by Italian journalists after on-air errors at RAI.
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