Inside The Olympics Opening Ceremony With Vittoria Ceretti And The Giorgio Armani Crowd

Milan's San Siro Stadium—the city's landmark sporting venue that opened a century ago this year (and which is set to be decommissioned after these Olympic Games)—was at overflow capacity. Not only in the stands that hold 80,000 people, but also on the grounds and walkways, too—every tunnel, ingress point, and food stand had a line, with mostly Italian insignia on view, though there was tons of American regalia too. I might have actually seen more stars and stripes, but, being American, I might've been looking out for the red, white, and blue more than other national motifs. Soon, and slightly to everyone's surprise (as the working line has been, "This is Italy, you never know"), the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games started at 8:00 PM, Central European Time, on the dot.

I was fortunate to have been offered a ticket via Giorgio Armani, one of this particular Games' partners. The house's EA7 Emporio Armani line is the official outfitter of Team Italia. After finishing half an Aperol Spritz at the Armani Hotel, our group—including the Italian supermodel Mariacarla Boscono in an Armani jacket and the actress Diane Kruger in a scarlet Armani bolero—headed forth. We had to walk a few blocks to our ride because of road closures. A high profile crowd cramming into a bus? "This is Italy."

We'd only just settled into Section 155 in the San Siro when the ceremony began. At that point, it was still warm enough outside (probably in the high 40s, Fahrenheit). We nursed Coronas from mini bottles and watched as a balletic dance number commenced. It featured set pieces of XL sized faux Greco and Roman statuary framed in white neon, which felt very 1990s gay Italian discoteca , which I liked. The principal winged and whisked about, the vibes were high. Our seats were ostensibly front row, but this was one of those situations in which the first few rows actually diminished the view, given the huge expanse of the space. We turned our heads upward to the screens. Apparently, this dance was a tribute to Athens–the origin of the Olympiad.