in Verona The closing ceremony was held at the
Verona Arena, and started at 20:30 (
CET) in
Verona, Italy. It began with a segment entitled "A Night at the Opera," which serves as a tribute to
Italian opera. During the segment, a
lumière illuminated multiple candelabras on a constructed stage in the middle of the arena, with a camera following the stage director (portrayed by Francesco Pannofino), behind the stage into underground tunnels beneath the arena, where he prepared the rehearsal for the performance during a pre-recorded segment. The segment featured characters from various Italian operas, including the eponymous protagonists of
Rigoletto (portrayed by Italian actor Stefano Scandaletti) and of
Aida (portrayed by Nigerian former model Charity Dago), Alfredo (portrayed by Italian
tenor Vincenzo Costanzo) and Violetta (portrayed by Bolivian-Albanian
soprano Carolina Lopez Moreno) from
La traviata, Figaro (portrayed by Italian musician Antonio Melissa) from
Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Cio-Cio San (portrayed by Japanese-Italian actress Jun Ichikawa) from
Madama Butterfly, with performers wearing extravagant costumes made using recycled materials. The segment also featured cameos from famous Italians, including
Achille Lauro,
Deborah Compagnoni, and a brief appearance of
Juliet on her balcony. As Rigoletto emerged from a large chandelier that appeared above the stage, Alfredo and Violetta performed "
Libiamo ne' lieti calici" before Aida and Cio-Cio San took on the stage. Meanwhile, the lumière escorted Italian opera's characters paraded with the athletes through
Piazza Bra in Verona while making their way into the arena. At the same time, the choir sang from the
Teatro Filarmonico, which served as a secondary venue for the ceremony with an audience, including actress
Benedetta Porcaroli. After an artistic program, a short segment titled "Faces of Italy" saw portraits of various Italians captured by photographer Marco Delogu. After the seating of the dignitaries,
Paolo Fresu and the choir of the Fondazione Arena di Verona performed "
Il Canto degli Italiani" during the raising of the
flag of Italy; the flag itself was carried by people from the host sites of the games and the
Carabinieri.
Italian athletes who won medals at the Games stood on stage during the flag raising. Afterward, Italian athletes
Silvio Fauner,
Maurilio De Zolt,
Marco Albarello, and
Giorgio Vanzetta (members of the winning
Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics – Men's 4 × 10 kilometre relay team) appeared with the
Olympic flame in an
ampoule; this led to the illumination of the
Olympic rings inside the arena. After the flags of the competing nations arrived in the arena, the athletes followed. During the athletes' parade,
Margherita Vicario,
Davide Shorty, and
Calibro 35 performed on stage. This was followed by
Elevation segment featured an acrobatic performance represeting athletes and a victory ceremony for the medalists from
Cross-country skiing – Men's 50 kilometre classical and
Cross-country skiing – Women's 50 kilometre classical.
Gabry Ponte and
Eiffel 65 performed
Blue (Da Ba Dee) during a tribute to the Games' volunteers, which was followed by a moment of remembrance segment featuring the orchestra of the Fondazione Arena plays
Puccini's "Humming Chorus" while Cio-Cio San gazing at the butterflies. With various references to the water cycle and sunlight, Italian singer
Joan Thiele sings "
Il mondo" while
La Scala Theatre Ballet's
Roberto Bolle performed an aerial tribute to
Earth. Afterward, the choir and orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona performed the
Olympic Hymn during the lowering of the
Olympic flag. Shortly before, "
Hymn to Liberty" (the national anthem of
Greece) was performed during its flag raising. The mayors of
Milan and
Cortina d'Ampezzo handed over the flag to the presidents of
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the host regions of the
2030 Winter Olympics. This was followed by the raising of the
flag of France and a performance of "
La Marseillaise" by Marine Chagnon. During the performance,
French athletes at the Games appeared; this was followed by a video from the
French Alps, with references to light and "a new dawn". The Olympic Flag will be raised again on 14 July 2028, for the
opening ceremony of the
2028 Summer Olympics at
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and
SoFi Stadium in
Los Angeles. Milano Cortina 2026 organising committee president
Giovanni Malagò and
International Olympic Committee president
Kirsty Coventry delivered official remarks, with Coventry declaring the closing of the Games, praising them as "magical games", and inviting the youth of the world and the audience to assemble in the French Alps in 4 years. The flame was extinguished at the arena, Milan, and Cortina d'Ampezzo, while pianist
Gloria Campaner performed
Experience by
Ludovico Einaudi. This was followed by the musical performances of
Diplo,
Major Lazer,
Meduza,
MØ,
Nyla,
DJ Snake, and
Alfa. To end the ceremony, Achille Lauro performed his song "
Incoscienti giovani" as a light show also took place in its stead, leaving the characters from the opera segment resting under the arena.{{cite news |url= https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/off-to-the-alps-milano-cortina-drops-curtain|title=Off to the Alps! Milano Cortina 2026 drops the curtain
Victory ceremonies ;Women's cross-country skier medalists • • • ;Men's cross-country skier medalists • • • ==Anthems==