HIDDEN TREASURES
Since it was first held ahead of the Olympic Games Berlin 1936, the Olympic Torch Relay has become one of the most symbolic aspects of the Games, helping to spread the Olympic celebration beyond the host city.
This map of the Rome 1960 Olympic Torch Relay beautifully illustrates the journey the flame made from Olympia to the Italian capital, with specially made stamps representing all six stages of the route.
Held over 13 days and featuring 1,529 torchbearers, the relay covered 1,863km before reaching the Olympic Stadium in Rome on 25 August, when Giancarlo Peris – an Italian track athlete of Greek descent – was given the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron.
The relay highlighted the two poles of classical civilisation – Athens and Rome – and also visited several historical sites in both Italy and Greece, as well as the birthplaces of athletes who excelled at the ancient Olympic Games.
Rome 1960 also marked the first time that the Olympic Torch Relay was televised, with the event closely followed by the media.
The map was edited by the Rome 1960 Organising Committee in collaboration with the “Uffici Assistenza Filatelisti” and the stamps were specially obliterated for the relay.
Click here to find all the key information concerning the torches and torch relays since Berlin 1936 until PyeongChang 2018.
- Sign up
-
Share
