La Traviata Takes Center Stage at the 2026 Olympic Closing Ceremony

The 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games concluded with a Closing Ceremony built around the theme "Beauty in Action," a spectacle of opera and dance that left viewers dazzled. Hosted in the mythic Arena di Verona, performers mounted an epic rendition of Giuseppe Verdi's 1853 opera La Traviata, which tells the story of Violetta, a high-class courtesan, and her passionate affair with a young nobleman.

Singers delivered the famous drinking song "Libiamo ne’ lieti calici," a number familiar from films such as The Godfather. The production blended grand costuming and choreography—one singer performed atop a glittering chandelier as dancers moved in perfect sync—while international artists including ballet icon Roberto Bolle, DJ Gabry Ponte, Verona-born singer Achille Lauro and actress Benedetta Porcaroli appeared throughout the program.

Milano Cortina 2026 Ceremonies Director Maria Laura Iascone said, "With 'Beauty in Action,' every language, such as dance, music, cinema, and architecture, becomes part of a unified choreography.

Italy, Verona

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