The 2026 Winter Olympics are right around the corner. Starting on February 6, the Italian regions of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will take center stage for all the pattinaggio su ghiaccio (ice skating) and lo sci alpino (Alpine skiing) action. But you don’t have to hop on your Vespa and scoot your way to Italia to join in on the fun. Heck, you don’t even have to Citi Bike up to Little Italy. Lower Manhattan is full of places that can help transport you to Il Bel Paese, whether you want to feel like an athlete, or just eat like an Olympic spectator. Here’s a guide for the Olympian inside of you — and find more delectable Italian spots in our Shop Dine Guide.
To warm up after hitting the ice
Anyone looking to carve up the ice like the Olympic ice skaters should make their way to the district’s ice skating rink at Brookfield Place. After freezing your butt off (or falling on it a few times), you can warm up and fuel up with the famed semolina roll Italian sandwiches at Parm Battery Park (250 Vessey St.). The shop’s chicken parm, meatball parm and chicken caprese sandwiches have legions of loyal fans, but you can also tuck in for a plate of pasta or cannoli desserts.
To do a biathlon of eating
The Olympic biathlon combines rifle shooting and cross-country skiing, which feels like two things that shouldn’t go together (and too many things to do at once, anyway). Instead of skiing and shooting, engage in a somewhat safer activity by combining flavors and meals at Eataly NYC Downtown (4 World Trade Center, 101 Liberty St.) You can mix and match from the market’s many vendors: For instance, you could shoot your shot with some dinner from Ravioli&Co, and then ski on over to Il Gelato for dessert.
To layer up for alpine skiing
Any skiing athlete will show up prepared for the winter chill with lots of professional layers. You don’t need the same level of heat tech to enjoy a good layer — just try the layers of lasagna at Da Claudio (21 Ann St.). The hearty dish comes with wagyu bolognese, tomato and béchamel sauce.
If you’re really into Italian art
Sculpture isn’t an olympic sport, but they should have given a gold medal to Arturo Di Modica anyway. The late Italian artist was the force behind the now-iconic Charging Bull statue outside of the New York Stock Exchange. He famously installed the piece in the middle of the night as a piece of guerilla art in 1987, but it soon became a permanent installation.
To lube up your luge
The luge is often considered the fastest sport at the winter Olympics, with the sled reaching speeds of up to 87 mph. If you want to try to go downhill that fast, you might want to oil up, and Best Sicily Bottega (87 Beaver St.) is the place to start. The compact market packs a lot of sandwiches, pastries and provisions into its space, including a notable collection of Sicilian olive oils.
For your own “Heated Rivalry” date
Hockey is hot hot hot right now thanks to the steamy hit show “Heated Rivalry.” You can have your own hot date while thinking about Olympic hockey by popping into Il Brigante (214 Front St.), a cozy trattoria where the brick oven used to make its crispy pizzas keeps the flames roaring and the intimate tables make plenty of space for talking, whether about hockey or, uh, anything else.
For dining like a bobsled team
The upstairs at Osteria Del Porto (212 Front St.) is great for quieter and intimate meals, but the downstairs is a bit livelier. The space boasts a communal dining counter, so you can still show up solo and feel like you’re part of a crew — while lined up in a row just like Olympic bobsledders.
For a pizza the size of a snowboard
The pies at Adrienne’s Pizzabar (54 Stone St.) are not quite as long as the boards the athletes will be using to shred the slopes in Italy…but they’re pretty close. The large grandma style pies can take up a good chunk of a table, and will definitely shred your appetite to bits.
If your favorite sport is sitting on the couch
Not everyone aspires to be a star athlete. Sometimes, you just really want to lock in as a spectator. For your mellow Olympic watching needs, head to AltoCanna (110 Chambers St.), the only state-licensed cannabis dispensary in the district. The joint is run by an Italian-American family from Queens, who chose the name Alto — which means “high” — to honor their Italian heritage. They infused the inside with welcoming, Italian-influenced hospitality as well.
If you’re really into skeleton
Skeleton is an incredibly fun sport that’s also a great way to break your bones if you don’t know what you’re doing. Instead of risking your own skeleton, choose from the bone-related options at Carne Mare (89 South St.): you can get a boneless rib eye, or go all in on the skeleton and get a plate of roasted bone marrow.
For the cross-country skiers
Cross-country skiing can seem like drudgery for anyone not familiar with the sport, but fans find it to be satisfying hard work. The same can be true for the process of making fresh pasta, in which the process is tough but the rewards are delicious. That’s the case at Giardino D’Oro (5 Gold St.), which makes all its pasta right on the premises.
If you love the Nordic combined
This event mixes cross country skiing and ski jumping, a combination of two related but different things that go well together. Try your own “combined” option by grabbing a meal at Harry’s Italian (2 Gold St.) where old-fashioned square pizza pies pair well with a cocktail menu featuring spritzes, negronis and the occasional wintry frozen drink.
If you like curling … your pepperoni into cups
In curling, athletes try to slide a “rock” across the ice to land on a target. If getting the kind of pepperoni that curls into cups is your target meal, hit up Siena Pizza and Cannoli (14 Rector St.), which specializes in the greasy, cupped pepperoni that will likely rock your tastebuds.
To host your own watch party for high rollers
The Olympics are a great reason to blow off work and binge obscure sports for two weeks. If you want to really ball out and drop a lot of Euros on a watch party, you might as well go big and rent out Cipriani Wall Street (55 Wall St.). The landmarked venue has 70-foot high ceilings, monolithic columns and can fit up to 2,000 guests. It’s also a piece of authentic Italian lineage: The Cipriani brand dates back to Giuseppe Cipriani Sr., who opened Harry’s Bar in Venice in 1931, where he’s credited with creating the iconic Bellini cocktail.
photo: Left: Canva / Right: Da Claudio
