Milano's Piazza Duomo Transformed into Olympic TV Studio and Merchandise Megastore

For the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Piazza Duomo in Milan has been partially occupied since November 2025 by a large temporary structure housing international television studios and an Olympic megastore, which will remain until March 2026. The installation, described as an eyesore and an insult to the city's architectural and design history, blocks views of the Duomo cathedral and prevents public use of the square for events, including New Year's Eve celebrations. The author contrasts this with the 2006 Turin Olympics, where media facilities were housed in the restored Castello del Valentino within Parco del Valentino, a more respectful integration. Beyond the piazza, the article criticizes the overall impact of the Games on Milan: the new Olympic Arena in Santa Giulia is efficient but located in a desolate area only accessible by car, as a planned tram line was never built; the Olympic Village, while built on time, is in a semi-suburb with no surrounding public space improvements, sidewalks blocked by illegally parked cars, and no promised pedestrian or cycling connections to the central Rogoredo station; and temporary sports venues at the Rho fairgrounds will be dismantled after the Games, leaving no legacy. The author laments that the city has been left worse off, contrasting the lack of urban regeneration with the spirit of Expo 2015.