Visitors to the Torino 2006 XX Winter Olympic Games over the next two weeks will be able to marvel at the Lancia Ice Bar, an extraordinary watering hole which has constructed out of crystal-clear ice from Lapland, and where the public can drink any type of beverage in glasses made out of ice in spectacular surroundings, wrapped up in warm cloaks provided by staff.

The Lancia Ice Bar in the Turin 2006 Sponsor Village is truly unique because it is made out of a ton of crystal-clear ice obtained by freezing water from the River Torne in Sweden (Lapland). This stunning bar is the outcome of a joint venture between the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi and the Lancia brand. It will be open from 9 to 27 February every day from 10 am to 10 pm and will allow visitors to sip fruit juices, aperitifs or drinks out of ice glasses – what else?

The Lancia Ice Bar will organise themed evenings, meetings and presentations over the next fortnight and be presided over by its hostess, the figure skating champion Carolina Kostner, proponent and star of the Lancia Ice project. Fiat's staff will also wrap up guests in cosy cloaks and gloves from Lapland to enable them to keep the temperature inside the Lancia Ice Bar at a constant -5°C.

If Lancia were an Olympic sport - the brand believes - it would certainly be figure skating. Thus the arrival of the XX Winter Olympics in Turin present Fiat Auto's 'luxury' division the perfect opportunity to become involved with the Games. And just like the sport of figure skating sport, the brand embodies elegance, class and harmony. This similarity in style led to the creation of the “Lancia Ice” project, through which Lancia supports the Italian men’s and women’s Figure Skating teams.
 

Lancia has chosen Carolina Kostner as its testimonial, the young champion of the Italian skating team, who recently won third place at the World Championships, followed by another bronze medal at the European Figure Skating championships, held in Lyons, the first Italian to do so for more than 25 years. Carolina is paired with the Lancia Ypsilon, a car that is particularly popular with the female public who find numerous important values reflected in this car and in the athlete who represents it. To achieve success a champion skater must work hard, with discipline and preparation, just as the Ypsilon is the result of detailed research, design and technology.

The Carolina Kostner – Lancia Ypsilon duo was sealed last year when, for her eighteenth birthday, the athlete received a very special gift: a Casanova Light Blue Lancia Ypsilon. Lancia’s commitment and dedication to this sport were highlighted in September, when the brand organised the Lancia Ice Grand Gala at Turin’s Palavela, which will be the home of figure skating at the Olympic Winter Games.