Inspiring Journey: Gregorio Paltrinieri's Torch Relay Ignites Excitement for Milan Cortina Winter Games

Gregorio Paltrinieri commenced the Milan Cortina Winter Games' torch relay, 12,000 kilometers around Italy. The relay will touch all 110 provinces before reaching Milan's opening ceremony. Prominent athletes and city celebrations mark the route, with the torch arriving in historical Olympic sites before the games unfold across northern Italy.

Olympic swimming champion Gregorio Paltrinieri kicked off the torch relay for the Milan Cortina Winter Games, heralding a major milestone exactly two months ahead of the February 6 opening ceremony.

Carrying the sleek torch, Paltrinieri circled the statue-lined Stadio dei Marmi at Foro Italico. The 12,000-kilometer relay will traverse all of Italy's 110 provinces, culminating at Milan's San Siro Stadium for the grand opening ceremony, involving 10,001 torchbearers.

Prominent athletes, including tennis player Matteo Berrettini and retired NBA star Andrea Bargnani, will join the relay in Rome. Celebratory stops include Naples for Christmas and Bari for New Year's Eve. The route includes key Olympic sites like Turin, host of the 2006 Olympics, and Cortina, hosting a cauldron lighting and several events, as the games spread across northern Italy.

(With inputs from agencies.)