The world’s finest athletes are competing on Italian soil — and the world’s finest cuisine is waiting for them when they’re done.
Right now, as you read this, the 2026 Winter Olympics are in full swing across northern Italy. The Games opened on February 6th at the legendary San Siro Stadium in Milan — and for the first time in Olympic history, the opening ceremony spanned four locations across the host country, with celebrations lighting up Livigno, Predazzo, and the streets of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Two Olympic cauldrons were lit — one in Milan, one in Cortina — as if one flame wasn’t enough to contain the spirit of the Games.
The competition runs through February 22nd, with 116 medal events across 16 disciplines spread across some of the most breathtaking venues in Lombardy and northeast Italy.
Milan hosts the ice events — hockey, figure skating, speed skating, short track — while the alpine events unfold in the dramatic peaks around Cortina, Bormio, and the Fiemme Valley. The closing ceremony will take place at the ancient Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater that has stood for nearly 2,000 years.
If that doesn’t give you chills, check your pulse.
This is also the first Winter Olympics to feature ski mountaineering as an official medal sport, along with new events in freestyle skiing, luge, skeleton, ski jumping, and alpine skiing.
The Patriotic Spirit
There is something about the Olympics that stirs the soul. Flags draped over shoulders. Anthems echoing through arenas. Athletes who have trained their entire lives standing on the edge of glory — not just for themselves, but for their country. You see it in the tears of a gold medalist hearing their national anthem. You see it in the roar of a crowd when the home team takes the ice. You see it in the quiet dignity of an athlete who came in fourth and will be back in four years to try again.
The Winter Games have always carried a certain grit. These aren’t sun-soaked sports. These are athletes who throw themselves down mountains at 90 miles per hour, who hurl themselves off ski jumps into thin air, who skate with blades inches from each other at breakneck speed. It takes a special kind of person — bright-eyed, fearless, and unafraid — to compete at this level. Sound familiar, Turtles?
Whether you’re cheering for Team USA, pulling for the host Italians, or just marveling at the sheer human achievement on display, the Olympics remind us that patriotism and sportsmanship can share the same ice.
Now Let’s Eat
And speaking of Italy — Friday, February 13th is National Italian Food Day, and there has never been a better excuse to raise a glass and load your plate.
Italian cuisine is one of the most beloved on the planet, and for good reason. Its roots stretch back to the Etruscans and Ancient Romans, built on the Mediterranean triad of wine, olive oil, and bread — three things any self-respecting Turtle considers essential supplies.
What makes Italian food extraordinary is its regional diversity. Every corner of Italy has its own traditions, its own specialties, its own grandmother who insists hers is the best. From the rich ragùs of Bologna to the seafood of the Amalfi Coast, from Roman carbonara to Sicilian arancini — Italian cooking is not one cuisine, it’s dozens, united by a single philosophy: start with the best ingredients and don’t mess them up.
savoringitaly.com
Consider the humble tortellini — tiny pasta parcels that look, if you squint, like little turtle shells. February 13th is also National Tortellini Day, so the universe is clearly on our side. Or think about pizza Margherita, created in 1889 with tomato, mozzarella, and basil to represent the colors of the Italian flag — a dish born from patriotism itself.
And let’s not forget that the tomato, now the backbone of Italian cooking, didn’t even arrive in Italy until the 15th century from the Americas. Imagine Italian food without the tomato. It’s like imagining the Turtle Club without the riddles — technically possible, but why would you?
The Perfect Pairing
So here’s your mission this week, Turtles: Watch the Olympics. Cheer loud. Then sit down to a proper Italian meal — a plate of pasta, a chunk of good bread, a glass of something red — and toast to the athletes, to the host country, and to the simple truth that good food, good drink, and good company are what make life worth living.
The Italians have known this for centuries. The Turtles have known it since 1943.
Buon appetito. And YBYSAIA.
