{"id":17180,"date":"2026-01-26T08:08:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T07:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marsilioarte.it\/?post_type=magazine&p=17180"},"modified":"2026-01-26T08:08:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T07:08:39","slug":"winter-olympics-deborah-compagnoni","status":"publish","type":"magazine","link":"https:\/\/www.marsilioarte.it\/en\/magazine\/winter-olympics-deborah-compagnoni\/","title":{"rendered":"The Winter Olympics in the words of the ski champion Deborah Compagnoni"},"content":{"rendered":"There was little snow that year in Cortina, and the 1956 Olympics, eagerly awaited and prepared for, were just around the corner. What could be done in a world without today\u2019s snow-making machines? The Alpine troops took care of it, fetching snow from the coldest places, carrying it to the slopes on their shoulders in large panniers. Born under the banner of craftsmanship that would later prove to be a winning factor and earn the organization worldwide acclaim, the 1956 Olympics boosted the country in many fields, becoming a little laboratory of ideas and innovation. For Cortina, first and foremost, which has since experienced a complete revival (including millions of cubic meters of construction, with all the attendant controversy). Already in the 1930s, with famous people frequenting it, from the Savoy royals to Edda Ciano, daughter of the regime \u2012 in her own way the first spokesperson for new trends \u2012, Cortina was a must-see destination for the few privileged vacationers of the period. But with the 1956 Olympics, it became an international destination and a symbol of the rise of winter skiing as a new status symbol for Italy, emerging from the postwar era to tackle the explosion of consumption and wealth during the economic boom.
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\r\nThere were celebrities from around the world, actors, actresses, and Sophia Loren as patroness on the slopes in all-white, coat, hoodie, boots, and dazzling green eyes. Queues of new enthusiasts lined the slopes, the Ice Palace was always packed, and TV stations from around the world documented the event. Endless excitement for the athletes, the victories, and the valley of outstanding beauty.
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\r\nToday, seventy years later, it\u2019s happening again: the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics are just around the corner, and for those who don\u2019t want to be caught unprepared there\u2019s the book Cortina 1956. Le prime Olimpiadi bianche in Italia<\/em> by Massimo Spampani, edited by Eleonora De Filippis, published by Marsilio Arte, which recounts the epic story of those events with historical context and a wealth of anecdotes.
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\r\nWhat has Cortina meant in these years: we discuss it with a true champion, Deborah Compagnoni, winner of three gold medals and a silver medal in three different Olympic Games, three world gold medals, a World Cup Giant Slalom medal, and the winner of numerous races. She has a ski slope dedicated to her in Santa Caterina Valfurva, where she was born, and now she is an ambassador for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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