VERONA, Italy (AP) — A city forever associated with Romeo and Juliet, Verona will host the final act of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday inside the ancient Roman Arena, where some 1,500 athletes will celebrate their feats against a backdrop of Italian music and dance.

Marco Balich has helped design grand spectacles at more than half a dozen Olympics. On Friday, he’ll do it again, on home turf in Italy.

The ancient Verona Olympic Arena will pay tribute to all athletes following the handover ceremony. What to know

A Russian woman in Milan made a quiet protest against the war by leading Ukraine’s Olympic team into the stadium

Paolo Petrecca, head of the sports unit of Italian state broadcaster RAI, stepped down on Thursday following backlash triggered by a series of live blunders he made while commenting the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony during which he misidentified Italian actress Matilda De Angelis as Mariah Carey.

The Games will conclude on Feb. 22 with the closing ceremony at the historic Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheater and UNESCO World Heritage site in the heart of Verona. Check out the full schedule on the official Olympics website.

Paige Hyland turned the Olympics opening ceremony into a full fashion moment on Instagram on Tuesday, February 10, sharing photos from the event as she watched the Games kick off live in person. The