When I arrived, I said, "Hello."" Unexpected hospitality... "12°C Winter Olympics." Milan, spring has already come [the scene of Milan]

*This content was translated by AI.

It's 8,800 kilometers from Incheon. In about 13 hours and a half on a flight, Italy's "City of Fashion," or now the venue for the Winter Olympics, arrived in Milan, which is more appropriate.

The reporter entered Milan on the 12th (local time), a little later than other reporters. When I arrived at Milan's Malpensa Airport, I was looking for directions following a tip from a fellow journalist to find the AD card activation registration desk first, when an Italian volunteer who is quite fluent in Korean said, "Huh? Hello," he said, approaching me first.

It was Shari (30), a local woman in Milan who likes Korean culture. Unlike Toro, who went to Milan before the opening of the tournament, who said, "It was chaotic because the airport information system was not established yet," press registration and transportation were carried out quickly under Mr. Shari's kind guidance.

I also heard from Mr. Shari that public transportation in Milan will be extended to late-night hours during the Olympics. Buses and trams on major routes will be extended until 2 a.m. on the subway and later hours. I felt relieved that I didn't have to pay for expensive taxis amid Europe's high prices.

He entered downtown Milan on the Malpensa Express, an airport railway in Milan. Recently, the Korean Sports Association asked for safety precautions as the number of Italian gypsies entering Milan surged for the Olympics, increasing the probability of crime. Moreover, Milan is a place where pickpockets are frequent, so I got off at Domodosola Station, near my accommodation, wearing a backpack containing valuables.

It was about 8 p.m. Olympic promotional materials were rarely seen on the streets, and it was crowded with locals who came to enjoy alcohol and food in the warm weather. Electric shuttle buses and trams come and go between Liberty-style buildings that are at least a hundred years old, and it feels as if the past and the future coexist.

The weather exceeded 10 degrees Celsius even though it was evening. It is much more cozy than Seoul, which is still winter. It was too warm for the Winter Olympics to be held, so I felt a little different. Of course, in Milan, ice events such as short track, speed skating, and figure skating are held in indoor stadiums, so it has nothing to do with the weather. Snowboard and alpine skiing are held in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Lvigno, other dispersed venues, and this place is as cold as Gangwon-do in Korea.

Arrived at the 'old building' accommodation. It's an accommodation that's been around since 1965. Hotel prices in downtown Milan soared by more than 50% due to the special Olympics. In the case of Cortina d'Ampezzo, it is usually three times the standard, and sometimes it easily exceeds 1,000 euros (about 1.4 million won) per night. When asked if there was an "Olympic Special" to the elderly male owner, he laughed, saying, "It went up a little more than usual."

The reporter's first impression of Milan is literally "three-dimensional." Tension (security) and relief (kindness), the past (architecture) and the future (transportation) are skillfully intertwined.

The Korean national team will compete in major events such as short track, speed skating, and snowboarding. I went to bed with anticipation of what memories I would leave in Milan and return to Korea in the news schedule that would get busier and more hectic.

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*This content was translated by AI.