The Winter Olympics 2026 Will Feature Two Cauldrons Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci

With the Winter Olympics just weeks away, organizers are eager to share exciting details of what’s to come, beginning with the Opening Ceremony on February 6. On Tuesday, Marco Balich, the Creative Lead of the Olympic Opening Ceremony, unveiled that this year’s Games will feature two Olympic Cauldrons, allowing the Flame to burn simultaneously in two different locations for the first time in history.

With one located at the Arco della Pace in Milan, and the other at Piazza Angelo Dibona in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Balich said the Cauldrons—created through partnership with Fincantieri and in collaboration with Lida Castelli and Paolo Fantin—draw inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s geometric studies and his famous Knots. The Cauldrons will also be lit and extinguished at the same time, reflecting harmony between the two host cities and the encompassing territories.

At the Milan location, spectators can take in a three-to-five-minute show each hour, which is accompanied by the music of Robert Cacciapaglia. At the conclusion of the Winter Games, the Cauldrons will be extinguished simultaneously and then will be relit for the opening of the Paralympic Games on March 6. They will again be extinguished in unison following the Closing Ceremonies on March 15.

“The Opening Ceremony is not about technology or spectacle,” Balich said in a news release. “It is about people, emotion, and humanity. In a complex world, we want to offer a message of harmony, beauty, and peace that can be understood by everyone.” Promising a star-studded evening, Balich also revealed Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, and Mariah Carey will play a role in the Opening Ceremony. “Mariah Carey will be singing in Italian,” he said, “the entire stadium will be singing along.”