Verona's Ancient Arena Prepares for Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony
The historic city of Verona, forever linked to the tragic romance of Romeo and Juliet, is set to host the final act of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics this Sunday. The closing ceremony will unfold within the ancient Roman Arena di Verona, where approximately 1,500 athletes will gather to celebrate their achievements amidst a vibrant backdrop of Italian music and dance.
Beauty in Motion: A Spectacle of Art and Sport
Under a veil of secrecy this week, acclaimed ballet dancer Roberto Bolle has been rehearsing inside the Arena alongside 350 volunteers for a spectacle titled "Beauty in Motion." The ceremony's producer, Alfredo Accatino, explained the theme, stating, "Beauty cannot be fixed in time. This ancient monument is beautiful if it is alive, if it continues to change. This is what we want to narrate: An Italy that is changing, and also the beauty of movement, the beauty of sport and the beauty of nature."
Other headlining Italian artists include singer Achille Lauro and DJ Gabry Ponte, whose popular hits have echoed from the Arena during rehearsals. Inside a temporary dressing room tent, seamstresses have been adding final touches to costumes inspired by opera, while volunteers prepare for the stage. Matilde Ricchiuto, a student from a local dance school, expressed her excitement, saying, "It's really special to be inside the Arena. Usually, I am there as a spectator and now I get to be a star, I would say. I feel super special."
Historical Significance and Modern Surprises
Built in 1 A.D., the Arena has served as a venue for popular entertainment for centuries, predating the larger Roman Colosseum by decades. Accatino hinted at surprises emerging from its vast tunnels, noting, "Under the Arena there is a mysterious world that hides everything that has happened. At a certain point, this world will come out," promising "something very beautiful." The ceremony will open with athletes parading triumphantly through Piazza Bra into the Arena, a site once used for gladiator fights and exotic beast hunts.
The stage design was inspired by a drop of water, symbolically uniting the Olympic mountain venues with the Po River Valley, where Milan and Verona are located. This motif also serves as a poignant reminder that the Winter Games are being reshaped by the impacts of climate change.
Logistical Choices and Intimate Atmosphere
While the opening ceremony was held in Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, nestled in the Dolomite mountains, was deemed too small and remote to host the closing. Verona, located in the same Veneto region as Cortina, was selected for its unique venue and relatively central location, according to Maria Laura Iascone, the local organizing committee's head of ceremonies. Iascone remarked, "Only Italians can use such monuments to do special events, so this is very unique, very rare," referring to the Arena.
She promised a more intimate evening compared to the opening ceremony at Milan's San Siro soccer stadium, with about 12,000 attendees expected for the closing, versus over 60,000 for the opening. Iascone added that approximately 1,500 of the nearly 3,000 athletes participating in the most spread-out Winter Games in Olympic history are anticipated to travel from Milan and the six mountain venues, with drive times ranging from just over an hour to up to four hours.
Ceremony Details and Paralympic Preparations
The ceremony will conclude with the extinguishing of the Olympic flame, accompanied by a light show instead of fireworks, which are prohibited in Verona to protect animals from disturbance. Following the Olympics, the Verona Arena will also host the Paralympic opening ceremony on March 6. For these events, the ancient structure has been retrofitted with new wheelchair ramps, accessible restrooms, and other safety upgrades. The six Paralympic events will continue in Milan and Cortina until March 15.
