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Cortina 1956 - Le prime Olimpiadi bianche in Italia

Open-air exhibition from 31 January to 15 March.
Save the date!

Saturday 31 January, 10am - Sunday 15 March, 8pm

CORTINA 1956 - Le prime Olimpiadi bianche in Italia

Le foto più iconiche.

Cortina d'Ampezzo returns to the Olympic stage after seventy years. In 1956, it hosted the VII Winter Olympic Games, an event that marked the first major consecration of snow and ice sports in the Italian Alps. Today, the five rings return, this time together with Milan, for the 2026 Games, in a profoundly different context: from 32 nations in 1956 to 93 expected, from 24 races to the current 195, from 820 athletes to over 3,500. Not a simple passing of the baton, but a momentous leap.

This journey down memory lane also includes an initiative by Noventa di Piave Designer Outlet, which is hosting the most significant images from the book “Cortina 1956 - le prime Olimpiadi Bianche in Italia”, published by Marsilio Arte and Fondazione Cortina, and authored by Massimo Spampani. It is a way to celebrate, together with visitors, the joy and pride of welcoming an event of great social, sporting, and cultural value to Veneto.

The 1956 Games remain a precious memory, an invitation to reflect on how much has changed and what still lies ahead. Now a new chapter begins, bringing more excitement.

The photos

  • Con lo slittino in via del Castello a Cortina d’Ampezzo. Foto UFA Cristallo

  • The Italian team parade. The flag bearer is 18-year-old Nilo Zandanel, ski jumping champion. Photo UFA Zardini

  • The façade of the Hotel Savoia 2 decorated with the flags of the thirty-two nations participating in the Olympic Games. Photo UFA Roma

  • Canadian skater Barbara Wagner performs on the ice rink at the Hotel Cristallo. Photo UFA Zardini