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Greek lekythos ceramic bowl used in the official flame lighting ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, which was held at the birthplace of the Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece, on November 26, 2025. The glazed black bowl measures 6.25˝ in diameter, 4.5˝ in height, and features hand-painted designs and figures, including a torch runner, the Coubertin Monument, two wrestlers, the Krypte tunnel, and maps of Italy and Greece with marked locations of Cortina, Rome, and Olympia. The bowl contains its interior ceramic ring. In very fine condition.
Among the pillars, in the ruins of the Temple of Hera, beneath Kronos Hill, a reflective bowl is used to catch the rays of the sun and spark a flame sent by Apollo, the Greek god of sun and light. The flame is used to ignite the Olympic torch held by the High Priestess, and from this torch, the flame is passed, or kissed, to the lekythos bowl, which is carried into the ancient stadium and used as a conduit to light the first torch of the Olympic relay.
Because of poor weather forecasts at Ancient Olympia, organizers opted to light the Olympic flame early during a dress rehearsal on November 24, 2025, as a precautionary measure. When the sun briefly broke through the clouds, the High Priestess successfully lit a backup flame using the traditional parabolic mirror. The flame was kept continuously alight in a safety lamp until it was used to light the Olympic torch at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, where the official torch relay began on November 26, 2025.
The Greek leg of the relay involved more than 450 torchbearers, who carried the flame over 2,200 kilometers (1,400 miles) across the country. The route included stops at twelve of Greece’s largest ski resorts, as well as a total of 36 welcoming ceremonies held over nine days, featuring cultural events and public celebrations. After lighting the cauldron at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the flame was formally handed over to Italian organizers and flown to Italy. It arrived at Rome’s Quirinal Palace on December 4th, marking the symbolic transfer to the host nation, with the Italian relay officially beginning two days later from the Stadio dei Marmi.
Once in Italy, the flame traveled through several regions before visiting the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, and then returning to the mainland. The route is planned to visit all 20 regions of Italy and 110 provinces, engaging thousands of participants and communities nationwide, before concluding at San Siro Stadium in Milan, where the flame will light the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the Games on February 6, 2026.
