The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics have brought Italian gastronomy to the forefront of their sports posters. This strategy goes beyond promoting the games to ensure that the taste and atmosphere of the host city are remembered as well. In collaboration with the Triennale Milano, the Organizing Committee selected 10 young Italian artists to unveil the official art posters for the Olympics and Paralympics. The poster project was introduced as an experiment connecting art, sports, and contemporary culture.
One of the most widely discussed images is "2026" by artist Giorgia Gargilli. By layering the Olympic rings on a cone like five flavors of gelato, she transformed the symbol of the Olympics into a single bite of pleasure. The concept of overlapping a torch with ice cream places the warmth of a festival upon the cold landscape of winter sports. It is a method that stimulates the audience's senses first, rather than explaining the intensity of the sport.
There have also been instances where gastronomy has moved beyond mere symbolism and expanded into actual products. Italian chef Carlo Cracco created ring pasta in the shape of the Olympic rings to commemorate the 100-day countdown. The Organizing Committee introduced this as a limited-edition project, emphasizing the host city experience that combines design and cuisine. This illustrates the trend of the Olympics spreading into the city's culture and consumer experience.
This poster combines three elements into a single frame: Milan's sophisticated urban fortress, the mountainous landscape of Cortina, and Italian culinary culture. For the viewer, it is an advertisement that designs not only the match schedule but also the motivation to travel simultaneously. Consequently, the poster for Milan Cortina 2026 functions not merely as an image of sports, but as a gateway that allows one to experience Italy.
