The Olympic torch arrived in front of Milan’s iconic Gothic cathedral on Thursday, drawing both cheers and protests on the eve of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games opening ceremony.

Nicoletta Manni, a leading ballet dancer from La Scala Theatre, carried the flame onto a platform in the shadow of the cathedral, where it was used to light a brazier.

Despite light rain, crowds in Piazza del Duomo and along the torch route cheered and snapped photos as the flame passed through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele arcade into the square.

A small group of demonstrators waved Palestinian flags in solidarity with Gaza, while earlier in the evening, pro-Palestinian protests took place near the city’s university. Israel is sending a team of 10 athletes to the Games.

Environmental group Greenpeace also staged a protest outside the cathedral, targeting Italian oil giant Eni, a Games sponsor. An installation showing the Olympic rings dripping black oil highlighted concerns about climate change and its threat to winter sports. One banner read: “Kick polluters out of the Games.”

The Olympic flame began its journey across Italy in December after being lit in Rome and has visited all 110 Italian provinces, including Games co-host Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites last month.

In response, Eni said it “shares the importance of addressing climate change” and plans to continue investing in energy transition efforts to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Winter Games officially open Friday evening with a ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium, paired with a celebration in Cortina. Italian Olympic ski champions Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni will light the Games’ cauldrons, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. -Reporting by Emilio Parodi, Yara Nardi, Yesim Dikmen and Giselda VagnoniEditing by Keith Weir/Reuters