Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio

Built on the edge of Cortina's centre for the 1956 Winter Olympics, the Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio is a surviving venue from those Games. It was adapted as a covered rink and served as an Olympic curling venue in 2026.

Why it matters

The stadium carries the destination's sporting memory in a way no museum can. CONI's venue profile records that it was inaugurated in 1952, built for the 1956 Winter Games, and hosted that year's Opening Ceremony — the moment Cortina stepped onto the world stage after winning the Games in the International Olympic Committee's 1949 vote over Montreal and Lake Placid. Its design remained largely intact through seven decades, linking Italy's first televised Olympics with the 2026 Games. It is a rare Olympic venue to have served two Winter Games.

What to notice

The concrete stand and original proportions largely survive. The 2026 curling project retained the historic envelope while updating electrical systems, changing rooms and accessibility. Cortina's Stefania Constantini won mixed doubles curling gold with Amos Mosaner at Beijing 2022. The pair added an Olympic bronze at the Cortina stadium in 2026.

Context and history

Cortina was already an established winter resort when it received the 1956 Games, and the stadium on Viale Bonacossa was conceived as the Games' central open-air arena, big enough for the opening ceremony and the skating and hockey events. The venue later proved its international standing beyond the Olympics, hosting the men's World Curling Championship in 2010 and the World Mixed Doubles Championship in 2009 — credentials that made it one of Italy's three great curling centres alongside Pinerolo and Cembra, in CONI's description. The renovation that enclosed the rink and the 2026 Games cycle belong to the same story: a 1950s structure adapted, not replaced, linking Cortina's 1956 Games with its role as a co-host of Milano Cortina 2026.