Storyline: The cauldron lighting ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games was held at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, capital of Italy on Friday morning, heralding the start of the Winter Games torch relay set to begin on Saturday. Italian President Sergio Mattarella lit the Olympic cauldron at the palace. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry. "The Olympic flame is arriving to a nation that lives and breathes sport, beautiful Italy, where passion shines through and everything that you do," said Coventry at the ceremony. "We have planned a very scientific relay route that will pass through all of Italy's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Italy is the country with the most world heritage sites. I think this is wonderful, not only for Italians but for the people all over the world," said Giovanni Malago, president of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee. The launch ceremony for the torch relay will be held on Saturday morning at Rome's Stadio dei Marmi, kicking off the start of the Olympic torch's journey across Italy. The relay will pass by multiple Roman landmarks such as the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, completing the 30-kilometer Rome segment on Saturday evening. The whole relay will traverse 12,000 kilometers over 60 days across Italy, pass through more than 300 municipalities and feature celebrations in 60 cities, reach all 110 Italian provinces, and light up UNESCO sites along the route. More than 10,000 torchbearers from all walks of life will take part in the relay, including figures from sectors of sports, culture, film and civil society. The 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026 in eight locations across northern Italy. Shotlist: Rome, Italy - Dec 5, 2025: 1. Venue for cauldron-lighting ceremony, attendees, cameraman, guards Rome, Italy - Dec 5, 2025: 2. Italian President Sergio Mattarella lighting cauldron Rome, Italy - Dec 5, 2025: 3. Attendees posing for group photo, burning cauldron flame 4. SOUNDBITE (English/Italian) Kirsty Coventry, President, International Olympic Committee (IOC): "The Olympic flame is arriving to a nation that lives and breathes sport, (switch to Italian) beautiful Italy, (switch to English) where passion shines through and everything that you do." Rome, Italy - Dec 5, 2025: 5. Various of aircrafts spraying colored smoke trails across sky, cauldron-lighting ceremony Rome, Italy - Dec 5, 2025: 6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Giovanni Malago, president, Milan-Cortina organizing committee (starting with shot 5): "We have planned a very scientific relay route that will pass through all of Italy's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Italy is the country with the most world heritage sites. I think this is wonderful, not only for Italians but for the people all over the world." FILE: Rome, Italy - Date Unknown: 7. Various of pedestrians, buildings, traffic [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]