Unlike the rain-drenched Paris Olympics opening ceremony, the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics have remained snowy, but clear and, as the NBC anchors put it, “quintessentially Italian.” Pops of color flooded the stage as dancers performed to Gioachino Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.” An actor in a black strapless gown dodged paparazzi flashbulbs while paying musical tribute to La Dolce Vita (1960), Federico Fellini’s landmark film. Then, three tubes of paint (colored blue, red, and yellow) came down from the sky and landed on the spiral-shaped stage, unfurling around dancers dressed in matching colors. The sequence nodded towards Milan’s La Scala opera house, as well as the sculptures of Antonio Canova, including Cupid and Psyche. Perhaps the most eye-catching element, though, was the appearance of three dancers wearing bobble heads to resemble famed opera composers Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi.
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 06: Laura Pausini performs the national anthem during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium on February 06, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Dressed in a glittering creation by Fausto Puglisi, creative director of Roberto Cavalli since 2020, Mariah Carey sang “Volare (Nel Blu, Dipinto Di Blu),” an Italian song by Domenico Modugno that topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958 for multiple weeks. Adorned in a platinum and diamond necklace, earrings and bracelet set by Levuma, the Grammy Award–winner also performed “Nothing Is Impossible,” a song she released last year, hitting a high note that elicited cheers from the audience of 60,000.
Mariah Carey performs during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.Elsa/Getty Images