Sergio Mattarella aboard an old tram driven by Valentino Rossi. A surprise awaits this evening at the San Siro Stadium, where the President of the Republic will pronounce the ritual address and declare the opening of the XXV Winter Games. The head of state will be shown on the traditional Milanese tram in a commercial filmed on February 2nd, when he came to Milan to embrace the young people injured in the Crans-Montana massacre who are being treated at the Niguarda Hospital.

A host of stars from the entertainment world will light up the grand stage at San Siro tonight, along with the traditional parade of athletes, for what promises to be a pyrotechnic opening ceremony for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Mariah Carey, Lang Lang, Pierfrancesco Favino, Charlize Theron, Laura Pausini, and Andrea Bocelli. Then there's Ghali (whose performance is highly anticipated, especially given the controversy surrounding it), Sabrina Impacciatore, Cecilia Bartoli, Matilda De Angelis, and Vittoria Ceretti. And there's even talk of Tom Cruise, expected in town to represent the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though Deadline denies this.

The direction is entrusted to Marco Balich, at his sixteenth major performance, who promised a ceremony that will appeal to everyone, "even to a fourteen-year-old from Kazakhstan who knows nothing about Italy." A supporting cast of 1,340 people and over 200 actors, dancers, and performers, supported by over 950 staff, will be in place. True to the vision of the first ever widespread Games, the event will be themed around Harmony and will involve not only Milan and Cortina, but also, for example, Livigno and Predazzo.

Ghali, the Milanese rapper of Tunisian origin who denounced the genocide in Gaza at Sanremo 2024 and was the center of intense political controversy, hasn't revealed anything about his performance or any possible stage appearances, but yesterday he wrote a post denouncing the situation. " I know why I was no longer able to sing the Italian anthem. I know why they asked me to recite a poem about peace," and again, "I know that my thoughts cannot be expressed. I also know that my silence makes noise. I know it's all a Grand Theater," he wrote bitterly.

Not just trap music, but also dance to the music of Verdi, Rossini, and Puccini, directed by renowned director Damiano Michieletto. The show features narration by actress Matilda De Angelis, a dialogue between two giants of classical music—Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and pianist Lang Lang—and a tribute to Raffaella Carrà with "A far l'amore comincia tu." This marks a return to the Olympics, following his performance at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Turin Winter Games, for Andrea Bocelli, who will sing "Nessun dorma" from Turandot. Mariah Carey will also be on stage, singing "Nel blu dipinto di blu."

Laura Pausini, the star of the Italian national anthem, is also eagerly awaited. She happily remarked, "We singers are similar to athletes. Those who arrive have dedicated themselves with discipline. I'm thrilled to sing for them." Sabrina Impacciatore will star in a musical about a hundred years of the Winter Games, closing with the music of Adriano Celentano, while Favino will bring together the mountain resorts that hosted the Games in a dialogue. A celebration of fashion legend Giorgio Armani, who once again designed the uniforms for the Italian delegation, is also planned. The internet has also gone wild for special correspondent Snoop Dogg, who recently made a surprise arrival in Gallarate, in the Varese area, as a torchbearer for the 59th leg of the Milan-Cortina Olympic flame.

(Unioneonline/D)

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