On Sunday 18 January, the Flame of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games will complete its forty-second stage, crossing Lake Garda and its valleys in a route that combines symbolic places, history and extraordinary landscapes. ​​

The day’s programme

The day will start at 8.40 am in Desenzano del Garda, a town dominated by the medieval castle that characterises its urban profile. ​​Twenty-two torchbearers will accompany the Flame along the city stretch, before departing for Garda Trentino. ​​

At 11.20 am, the relay will reach Riva del Garda and continue towards Rovereto, with arrival scheduled for 1.35 pm. ​​The city, characterised by a strong cultural identity, is known for the MART — one of the main museums of modern and contemporary art in Italy — and for the Bell of the Fallen “Maria ​Dolens”, an international symbol of peace. ​​In this section, there will be sixteen torchbearers along the urban route.

In the afternoon, at 3:50 pm, the relay will reach Peschiera del Garda, where the Flame will cross the area of the pentagonal fortress, part of the 16th-century Venetian defensive works, recognised in 2017 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ​​The stretch will accompany the Journey to the Veronese shore of the lake. ​​

The final arrival will be in Verona, scheduled for 7:30 pm in Piazza Bra, where the city ​celebration ​will welcome the lighting of the brazier in one of the most representative places of the city, between the Arena and the historic buildings that ​adorn ​the square. ​​

During the day, the Flame – accompanied by a separate convoy – will also touch places of particular symbolic and landscape value: the International Museum of the Red Cross in Castiglione delle Stiviere, which tells the story of the origins of the movement founded by Henry Dunant; the Bell of the Fallen in Rovereto, cast with the bronze of the cannons of the First World War and rung every evening as an invocation for peace; and the hills of Valpolicella, a historical territory of Veronese viticulture, known internationally for the production of Amarone and for its vineyards that characterise the landscape of the area. ​​

Discover the route of the 42nd stage

The partners of the journey

The Olympic Flame is accompanied by two exceptional partners: Coca‑Cola and Eni are the ​Presenting Partners of the Olympic Flame Relay in support of this extraordinary moment that marks the last stretch of road before the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games. ​​The entire journey is enriched by the activations and special events of Coca-Cola and Eni, which make each stage even more ​engaging and memorable, transmitting energy, emotion and participation throughout the journey.