The torch from Greece to Milan and Cortina: where the Olympic flame "rests" when it's not on the road.

During the day carried around by torchbearers, in the evening in "temporary braziers", and the lanterns for the handovers

While the journey of the Olympic Torch is on the home straight today in Milan, its passage through the city raises a question spontaneously: where did the lit flame "rest" when it was not burning in the torches of the more than 10,000 torchbearers who accompanied it from Olimpia?

During the more delicate transfers by plane or like today's on the M5 subway and for night stops, the flame was kept in special safety lanterns, designed to guarantee its safety. Survival in any condition. These devices are inspired by historic miners' lamps, now made with modern, durable materials: shockproof, windproof, and designed to withstand rain and pressure changes that could jeopardize the Olympic "sacred fire."

Inside the lantern, the flame is fueled by a special fuel that allows for constant and safe combustion. Furthermore, for safety reasons, there is never just one flame: multiple lanterns are lit simultaneously during the journey, so as to always have a reserve ready in case of unforeseen circumstances. For the Milan Cortina Olympics, the lantern arrived in Italy from Greece on December 4, 2025, when it was symbolically handed over to the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace by torchbearer Jasmine Paolini.

From that moment, the flame began its journey across Italy: every morning, starting December 6, the flame is transferred from the lantern to the torch of the first torchbearer of the day and, during breaks, returned safely to the lantern. Last night, in Piazza Duomo, it was star Nicoletta Manni who lit the "Temporary" brazier with her torch. Temporary because there are two official Olympic braziers, two like the cities that give their names to the Olympics. In Milan, at the Arco della Pace, and in Cortina d'Ampezzo in Piazza Dibona.

This evening the ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 pm: it will be the moment when the two braziers, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's Knots, will be lit: inside, the Olympic flame is enclosed in a glass and metal container. Starting February 7, the brazier at the Arco della Pace will be the protagonist of a daily event, a three- to five-minute show every hour from 5 pm to 11 pm, until it is extinguished on February 22, with music by Roberto Cacciapaglia.

Link to the site: https://milano.repubblica.it/c...