M48 hours left until the opening ceremony of Milan Cortina 2026 and, while the delegations refine the final technical details, the real race has already exploded on TikTok and Instagram. If the Paris Olympics had accustomed us to cardboard beds and controversies over food, Italy responds with a mix of design, “true” comfort and the inevitable touch of good cuisine. The Olympic Village is no longer a mystery: it is the athletes themselvesfrom Milan to Cortina, from Livigno to Predazzo, to take us inside their rooms with viral videos.
The athletes talk about the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Village
Testing time is over: the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Village is officially open and the “TikTok-ification” of the Games is at the highest level. The buildings of Porta Romana in Milan are teeming with athletes who, cell phone in hand, review every detail, giving followers a behind-the-scenes look that smells of Italian pride and some hilarious curiosities.
@phebebekker Be prepared for so many photo shoots in front of these rings #olympics #milanocortina2026 @Milano Cortina 2026 @Olympics @Anastasia Vaipan-Law ♬ original sound – Mi
The Olympic Village in Milan: between bidets and “real” beds
Unlike previous editions, athletes can breathe a sigh of relief: no cardboard beds. In Milan the rooms are furnished with real beds and mattresses Airweave customizableresting on structures that will become part of a permanent student residence. A nice upgrade that many seem to have appreciated.
But the real star of the videos is the bidet. American and Asian athletes frame it with suspicion and wonder: «I think it’s time to answer the question everyone is asking»British artistic ice skater Phebe Bekker jokes by showing the bathroom, while the comments of Italian fans explode between irony and instructions for use. Yes, the bidet in Italy is a must and, between curiosity and surprise, the choice seems right.
Cortina and Livigno: the (discreet) charm of the mountains
If Milan focuses on metropolitan design – enriched by famous designer furnishing accessories Kartell – a Curtain the scenario changes. Here the village is made up of 377 temporary housing modulesreal mobile homes with an innovative design designed to avoid impacting the environment.
However, not everyone has chosen this option: blue stars like Sofia Goggia and Federica Brignone they will prefer the comfort of hotels to stay focused on the race. TO Livignohowever, the atmosphere is that of high altitude refuges, with environments that recall typical Alpine hospitality, between wood and large windows overlooking the slopes.
The Olympic Village in Cortina (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)
The champions’ table: pasta passed with flying colours
It wouldn’t be an Italian Olympics without a focus on cuisine. The canteen in Milan, which serves approx 3,400 meals a dayhas already been promoted by US skaters Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik and from South African cross-country skier Matt C. Smith: «The pasta is exceptional, from 8…». Between lasagna, pizza, fresh mozzarella and free drink vending machines (a must for moments of relaxation), athletes seem to be enjoying the eve of the Games like never before.
The canteen in the Olympic Village of Milan Cortina 2026 (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Milan Cortina 2026, the Olympic Village as a small city
In addition to food, the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic village offers lounge areas with table football, barbers and even state-of-the-art physiotherapy areas. The feeling is that of a small self-sufficient city where, between a selfie in front of the five giant hoops and a workout in the gym (all designed Technogym), the Olympic spirit is being built which will ignite the slopes from the day after tomorrow.
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