For Milano Cortina 2026, the Portanuova park transforms Olympic rings into a social and participatory land art installation
Milan welcomes the Olympic fire into its green heart. On Friday, February 6, the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano (BAM) will become the stage for a historic moment: the arrival of the Olympic Flame. To celebrate the event, the monumental land art work depicting the Olympic rings and the three Paralympic Agitos will be lit with official colors, transforming the park into a vibrant and symbolic urban scenery.
Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, Fondazione Riccardo Catella. Archivio Fotografico BAM_DHarizanov
Land Art and Olympic Values in the Heart of Portanuova
The initiative, curated by Francesca Colombo for the Fondazione Riccardo Catella, transforms the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano into an open-air manifesto of fair play. The work is not just a visual tribute, but the centerpiece of the “BAM FAIR PLAY 25/26” program, part of the Cultural Olympiad. This project aims to bring the energy of the Games outside the competition venues, making public space a place for collective participation and reflection on the values of inclusion and solidarity.
On Sunday, February 8, the installation will come to life with the community action “Insieme per riflettere” (Together to Reflect), created in collaboration with NABA. Citizens are invited to populate the lawn with mirrored flowers and thoughts dedicated to sport, creating a choral work of art that reflects the identity of an international and welcoming Milan.
A Path Between Nature, Design, and Podcasts
Beyond the visual impact, the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano offers a multidisciplinary experience that intertwines sport and culture. The new “Olympic and Paralympic Path” will allow visitors to walk through the park while listening, via QR codes, to the FAIR PLAY podcast. The eleven episodes explore the core principles of Olympism, offering an audio deep-dive while strolling among the park’s circular forests and meadows.
For those wishing to deepen the link between aesthetics and performance, the guided walk “In Mostra: un sentiero tra natura e design” (On Display: a path through nature and design) is scheduled. The route will connect the park directly to the Triennale di Milano, concluding with a guided tour of the “White Out” exhibition, dedicated to the future of winter sports.
Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, Fondazione Riccardo Catella. Archivio Fotografico BAM_DHarizanov
A Cultural Olympiad Open to the City
All events proposed by the Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano are free of charge, confirming the park’s role as an inclusive cultural hub. Thanks to the support of the Lombardy Region and institutional partners, BAM confirms itself as a social infrastructure where botanical excellence meets the strength of the Olympic message.
The city of Milan, through this green lung, symbolically embraces athletes and visitors, demonstrating how landscape design and art can become universal languages of peace and brotherhood during the Winter Games.
