The torch offered at auction is a rare original aluminum alloy piece, designed by Ralph Lavers, a central figure in post-war Olympic design, and manufactured by E.M.I. Factories Ltd and High Duty Alloys Ltd. The model follows the design of the 1948 London Olympics and was also used for Melbourne and Stockholm in 1956. It bears the inscription “Cortina 1956 – VII Olympic Winter Games” and is mounted on a wooden base with a plaque dated June 17, 1956.
What makes this lot particularly significant is its direct and documented provenance. The consignor is the grandson of the first owner, Nicola Manganaro, who was responsible for telephone services during the 1956 Cortina Olympics. The torch was gifted to him by his collaborators at the conclusion of the Games as a tangible memento of an irreplaceable professional and personal experience.
A gesture that tells of an era when Olympic objects were not conceived as museum memorabilia, but as lived testimonies, woven into the daily lives of those who helped make the event a success.
The torch is a witness to a historic relay. In 1956, in fact, the flame was not lit in Olympia, but on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, at the Temple of Jupiter. From there, it began a complex and evocative journey: by car to Ciampino, by plane to Venice, by gondola along the Grand Canal, then on foot, on skates, and finally on skis to Cortina.
On January 26, 1956, the day of the Opening Ceremony, the flame reached the Ice Stadium in Cortina thanks to a relay composed of great Italian athletes, including Adolfo Consolini, Zeno Colò, Severino Menardi, and Enrico Colli, culminating with the last torchbearer, speed skater Guido Caroli, who lit the Olympic cauldron in front of the audience and the first television cameras.
With this special auction, Cambi Casa d’Aste creates an ideal link between two Italian Olympic editions, celebrating not only the object but also the historical, human, and symbolic value it embodies. The Cortina 1956 torch is an authentic fragment of Italian and Olympic history, coming back to light at the very moment when the Olympic flame is about to illuminate Italian mountains once again.
The auction will take place online until February 6, 2026, at 8:00 PM, allowing remote participation. The complete lot listing with high-resolution images and detailed description is available on the auction house’s website. For further information, the team of experts can be contacted directly at milano@cambiaste.com. The lot can be viewed in person at Cambi Casa d’Aste, Milan, Via San Marco 22.
