London 1948, Melbourne 1956, Munich 1972, Salt Lake 2002, Beijing 2022 and of course... Cortina 1956. At the table, we retrace the history of sport in this restaurant-pizzeria with its wood-lined interior, which will be full again this weekend for the men's Alpine Skiing World Cup stage.

"The torches are nevertheless quite rare, especially the oldest ones", explains to AFP the boss, laughing eyes behind his glasses with red frames, who has become a specialist in this emblematic object of each Olympiad, over research on the internet and negotiations with second-hand dealers all over the world.

Giorgio Ghedina, 63, is the uncle of former Italian champion Kristian Ghedina, five appearances at the Games and 13 World Cup victories until his retirement in 2010.

Of all prices

"For the modern Games, there are generally 7,000 to 10,000 copies, depending on the number of places and torchbearers (for the route of the flame, editor's note). But there were not so many before," continues- he, grabbing his oldest piece, an all-stainless steel torch: that of Berlin 1936.

Slender or flared, futuristic or classic, the thirty-one torches on display are all original, assures the owner of this informal "museum" which can be visited while tasting a pizza or canederli, a local specialty made from bread and speck.

"As often, it started by chance, twenty years ago. A blacksmith from Cortina, who had been ordered lamps in the shape of the Olympic Games-1956 torches, offered me one. And I I said, why not continue?", Describes Giorgio Ghedina, who himself carried the flame during the Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006.

Giorgio Ghedina on January 20, 2023 in his restaurant in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

"As often, it started by chance, twenty years ago. A blacksmith from Cortina, who had been ordered lamps in the shape of the Olympic Games-1956 torches, offered me one. And I I said, why not continue?", says the collector © Tiziana FABI / AFP/Archives

"I give myself the one I can afford. Their value is very relative, it's not like a piece of jewelry where we base ourselves on objective characteristics", underlines the owner.

Their price is generally a few thousand euros, according to him, but some reach amounts whose height rivals the peaks of the Dolomites.

Signed by the medalists

Helsinki torches (1952), which only exist in twenty-two copies, have sold in recent years between 350,000 and 475,000 euros at auction.

One of the thirty-three copies of Grenoble (1968) was sold for 182,000 euros (including costs) in February 2022 in Paris, according to the Million auction house.

"I had found the one in Albertville, but they wanted 80,000 euros for it, madness, so good ...", sighs Giorgio Ghedina.

At the "Passetto", it is not uncommon to come across former heroes of the Games, who have come to reminisce about their exploits.

To those who have won medals, the boss never forgets to ask them to sign the torches.

Former Italian skier Deborah Compagnoni on January 20, 2023 at the Passetto restaurant in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

His boss, Giorgio Ghedina, collects Olympic torches, the oldest of which dates from the Berlin Games in 1936 © Tiziana FABI / AFP/Archives

That evening, it was the former Italian alpine ski champion Deborah Compagnoni, three times gold medalist in three different Games (1992, 1994 and 1998) who walked through the door.

She does not escape the traditional signature on the Nagano torch: "These were my last Games, but also the most beautiful because I also won a silver medal there", smiles the ex-skier of 52 years.

One more signature, alongside Sofia Goggia or Lindsey Vonn, in the collection of the boss, who is now impatiently waiting to see the Milan/Cortina 2026 torch: "I would do it in Murano glass, it would be magnificent!"

© 2023 AFP