As Cortina prepares to host events for the 2026 Winter Olympics, a local restaurant is celebrating the town’s love of ski racing and Italian food.
As the 2026 Winter Olympics approach, ski racing and Italian food are coming together uniquely in this mountain town.
Cortina, which will host several events for the Milan-Cortina Games, is known for its deep ties to alpine skiing. It is also known for pizza. At one local restaurant, the two passions are combined on the menu.
At the 5 Torri restaurant in Cortina, customers can order pizzas named after famous ski racers, including American stars Ted Ligety and Lindsey Vonn.
“Why not put the two together?” said Francesco Ghedina, who owns the restaurant with his wife. “Skiing and food are everything here.”
Ghedina comes from a ski racing family. His cousin competed in five Olympic Games, and Ghedina also raced competitively. He skied for the University of Denver and helped the team win an NCAA championship.
“This restaurant is home to skiers,” Ghedina said.
Several years ago, the restaurant began naming a few pizzas after athletes who regularly visited and had a favorite order. That tradition started about six or seven years ago and quickly caught on.
The Ted Ligety pizza is made the way the former U.S. Olympic champion prefers it.
“We decided to name it the Ted Ligety pizza, and it got really famous,” Ghedina said.
Another popular option is the Lindsey Vonn pizza, named after the decorated American skier and Olympic medalist. Ghedina said Vonn was a regular customer for years.
“She was picking margherita all the time,” he said. “After she came back, we put the margherita Lindsey Vonn on the menu.”
To have a pizza named after you, Ghedina said, there are two rules: you have to be a ski racer, and you have to be a regular.
Both pizzas have become popular, especially during major ski events.
“It’s a big seller during the World Cup,” Ghedina said.
The menu is not limited to alpine skiers. Italian curling athlete Stefania Constantini, who won gold in mixed doubles at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, also has a pizza named after her. Constantini lives in Cortina.
With women’s alpine skiing, curling, and sliding events set to take place in and around Cortina during the 2026 Winter Olympics, restaurant owners expect even more visitors seeking a taste of local tradition.
Dining and Cooking