LAGO DI TESERO, ITALY — Before he became the most famous dog at the Olympics, Nazgul was not known as an escape artist. Still, his owners, Enrico and Alice Varesco, were not taking chances when they left him alone at their apartment alongside the Olympic cross-country ski trails this week.

People have been asking me what it’s like to cover a Winter Olympics. It’s cold, I tell them. They’ll smirk at this wise guy who just went swimming only to report how “it was wet,” but I’m not being dismissive.

The Italian federation was haunted by what happened at the 2006 Turin Olympics. Twenty years later, their performance is meeting the moment.

Italy has already recorded its best-ever Winter Olympics medal haul, powered primarily by women, as gender parity efforts deliver historic results at Milan Cortina 2026.

The last act of the Milan Cortina Games was set in Verona and was filled with Italian flair

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games have officially closed, leaving us with more than just a tally of gold medals and world records. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Italian Alps and the chic,

The United States finished the 2026 Winter Games with 33 total medals. Was it enough to top the competition?

You saw the Olympics on TV but the Dolomites are even more stunning in person. Here are the best ways to ski, hike, bike and climb in Italy's UNESCO World Heritage region