The two primary cities hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics events are Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, both located in northern Italy. And while Italy has world-class sporting and event venues from north to south, there is no one city of northern Italy that can host the wide variety of winter sporting events included in the Olympics roster.

The ravioli-type dish, also known as casunziei all’Ampezzana, consists of homemade half-moon shaped pasta filled with boiled beets, topped with a sauce of melted butter, Parmesan cheese and poppy seeds.

The Games in northern Italy, which start on Friday, will be spread across 8,500 square miles. Long distances, narrow roads, complex connections and snowfall will make it a logistical nightmare.

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Milan will be the most widespread games ever.

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Athletes at the Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Village on Tuesday chatted at an outdoor coffee stand, traded their unique national team pins and took in the atmosphere of the Dolomites as snow steadily fell.

MILAN (AP) — The Milan Cortina Winter Games are the most spread-out in Olympic history. For the organizers of the Feb. 6-22 Games, it was a choice to use existing infrastructure as much as possible, but this means no central hub and strategic choices for spectators. The Games will span over 8,500 square miles.

The last time Cortina d’Ampezzo hosted the Winter Olympics was in 1956 (Jan. 26-Feb. 5). The Games featured 821 athletes, and 24 events like bobsleigh, speed skating, and alpine skiing. Here’s what to know about that event.

Vonn’s younger sister, Laura, lived in Florence then and the siblings met up annually in Cortina. Vonn’s mother, Lindy, died in 2022 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

With the Olympics less than a week away, attention is turning to Italy's host cities: Cortina d'Ampezzo and Milan.