Toward the 2026 Olympics, exploring sports, vision and progress
The exhibition "Olympic Eyewear: Eye Protection in Sports Activities" will be inaugurated today, Thursday, September 12, at 6:00 PM.
This exhibit offers a look back over the past 70 years of history, focusing on sports, vision, and technological progress. Located just 30 kilometers from Cortina d'Ampezzo—two years ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics—the exhibition naturally starts with skiing. The first goggles on display come from the Safilo archives in Calalzo di Cadore and the museum's collection.
These "first" goggles are part of an ongoing initiative by the Eyewear Museum to collect donations of eyewear and sports equipment related to vision from athletes and famous figures. This process will continue over the coming months, continually enriching the exhibition.
The core concept of the exhibit—which will continuously evolve and grow—is to study and present the technological advancements related to vision in sports, starting with early innovations from the 1950s to the latest developments, set to debut on the slopes of Cortina during the 2026 Olympic Games.
The Eyewear Museum itself traces its origins to an Olympic event: the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina. During that time, the first "Exhibition of Eyewear Through the Centuries" was held in Pieve di Cadore, which led to Enrico de Lotto's vision for a National Eyewear Museum in Cadore, eventually realized in 1990.
The exhibition's ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday evening will be led by Vittorio Tabacchi, president of the Eyewear Museum. This will be followed by remarks from the exhibition's two curators, Daniela Zambelli (director of the Eyewear Museum) and Elena Maierotti (museum curator), along with Marco Calvi (innovation and research area at Certottica), who contributed to the exhibition's content.
The "Olympic Eyewear: Eye Protection in Sports" exhibition is part of the OLIMPIADI DEI BORGHI 2026 - Dolomiti Cultural Ecosystem project, funded by the PR VENETO FSE+ 2021-2027 – DGR 1643/2022 "Cultura in Rete - Interventions for the Development of Territorial Cultural Ecosystems." This initiative aims to create a cultural and entrepreneurial network to drive development for the region and its community by bringing together cultural enterprises, local authorities, and associations in the Dolomites.
The project is coordinated by Umana Forma, a company within the Umana Group and an accredited training institution, which is involved in various initiatives aimed at supporting employment and enhancing skills in the region. Umana has a long-standing relationship with the area, working alongside industrial and entrepreneurial entities while supporting initiatives that contribute to the development of the local community. Umana recently opened a new branch office in Pieve di Cadore, adding to its four other locations in the province of Belluno.
Among the project’s partners is the Eyewear Museum, taking center stage with this exhibition.