Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala presente Brignone with the prestigious Ambrogino d’Oro award

MILAN — Italian alpine skiing icon Federica Brignone returned to her birthplace to receive one of the city's highest civic honors. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala officially presented Brignone with the prestigious Ambrogino d’Oro during an intimate ceremony in the Sala dell'Orologio at Palazzo Marino.

The extraordinary award celebrates Brignone's career milestones—most notably her dual gold medal masterclass in giant slalom and super-G at the home winter games—as well as her ongoing social and environmental activism to safeguard alpine glaciers.

A Golden Homecoming

Though Brignone has lived almost her entire life in the rugged mountains of the Aosta Valley, her roots remain firmly planted in the Lombardy metropolis.

"Milano is my city, even though I left when I was very small," Brignone reflected during the ceremony. "I've always been fascinated by it. My grandparents lived here, I have so many lifelong friends, and I associate Milan with beautiful memories. To represent my country at a home Olympics and now receive this honor is something truly special."

The ceremony drew a distinguished crowd from the Italian sports hierarchy. Joining Mayor Sala to honor the champion were:

• Flavio Roda, President of the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI)

• Franco Zecchini, President of FISI Central Alps

• Marco Riva, President of CONI Lombardia

• Claudia Giordani, 1976 Innsbruck Olympic silver medalist

Mayor Sala spoke highly of the champion's magnetic personality and long-term potential, hinting that her impact will stretch far beyond her competitive days. "It is easy to imagine that once her sporting career concludes, she will do something truly significant," Sala noted. "She possesses an incredible capacity for communication and empathy."

Grinding Through the Summer Months

The prestigious award offers a brief celebratory pause in what has been an intense, demanding summer training window for the skier. Brignone has been logging long miles road cycling through the Aosta Valley as part of a rigorous physical regimen managed by athletic trainer Luca Scarian.

Scarian is currently managing a delicate balancing act, dividing his time between Brignone, Marta Bassino, and Sofia Goggia, who are all operating on varied training schedules based on their respective physical conditions. For Brignone, the high-volume summer workloads are paying dividends as her strength continues to improve following a severe leg injury suffered a year prior.

Brignone's Current Training Focus:

• Primary Phase: High-volume athletic conditioning

• Modality: Road cycling across the Aosta Valley

• Medical Status: Progressive strength gains post-injury

Immediately following her institutional duties in Milan, Brignone returned home to the mountains to take in the high-adrenaline action of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series stage in La Thuile, cheering just meters away from the steep 3-Franco Berthod track that has defined so much of her racing legacy.