The Italian tale of the Ted Ligety pizza 

The revealing story behind why some top ski racers, including Lindsey Vonn, haven’t yet had a pizza named in their honor at the bustling 5 Torri Pizzeria in Cortina d’Ampezzo

River Radamus finished his super-G race on the Olympia delle Tofane and immediately dashed into downtown Cortina to have his first-ever taste of the Ted Ligety pizza, served at the 5 Torri Pizzeria Restaurant.

For the U.S. giant slalom specialist, it was a pilgrimage of sorts, not only to enjoy a delicious, piping-hot, locally made Italian pizza but also to honor the five-time World Cup GS champion and Olympic gold medalist who has been his inspiration.

“Went to 5 Torri for lunch and had the Ted Ligety pizza – it was terrific,” Radamus said. “They make a wonderful pizza.” On his Instagram, Radamus rated the pizza named after Mr. G.S. an 8.0, on a scale that only goes to 8.0..

The toppings on the customized Ligety pizza – one of about 50 varieties at 5 Torri – are pomodoro, mozzarella, prosciutto crudo, stracchino cheese, arugula and fresh cherry tomatoes. It costs 14 Euros, the priciest pizza on the menu, but it’s well worth it. Only the Beaver Creek pizza costs the same. It’s a slice of Utah vs. Colorado rivalry, Italian style.

And while Ligety is undoubtedly one of the greatest GS ski racers all time, one might wonder how a guy from Park City, Utah – who is about as Italian as Pavarotti is Mormon – gets a pizza dedicated after him at the fashionable 2026 Olympics winter resort nestled in the Italian Dolomites.

Plus, Ligety never raced in Cortina. Of course, he does own an Olympic gold medal from Torino 2006. He also has a few GS victories at Alta Badia, just a few valleys over. 

Francesco Ghedina, a Cortina local, former collegiate racer at the University of Denver and the cousin of Italian downhill star Kristian, runs the family-owned pizzeria. He explains why Ligety was bestowed this great honor.

“It’s a long story, but basically, Ted came here two or three times because we have many friends in common. Adam Cole is the connection between us. Ted chose the same pizza twice with toppings from two different pizzas,” Ghedina says, beginning to divulge the secret. 

Cole, a former Ski Racing Magazine College Skier of the Year, was Ted’s coach and Francesco’s roommate at DU. They all hooked up in Cortina for sun-drenched turns, breathtaking views, and, naturally, pizza.

“He came here in March one year just to ski in Cortina because they were racing downhill at the World Cup Finals, I think,” Ghedina says of Ligety. “We had a great day of skiing and he ordered the same pizza yet again. So, finally, we named it the Ted Ligety pizza.” It has been more than five years and counting. Ted’s pizza remains a hot item to this day.

The pizza honoree shares his thoughts

Ligety is proud of his Italian honor.

“It’s definitely really cool to have a pizza named after me,” the retired U.S. Ski Team racer tells Ski Racing Media. “I’ve known Francesco at 5 Torri a long time.”  I kind of have a connection with Cortina, too, because Carlo (Salmini), my partner at Shred, grew up skiing there. He spends most of the winter there.

“I would always order kind of semi off-script pizzas when I was in Italy. Not fully nontraditional Italian style, but just a little different than what most places have on the menu,” says the well-traveled Parkite. “That’s kind of how the Ligety pizza was born.”

“It’s one of our best sellers. I don’t know if it’s because of the ingredients or because of Ted’s name,” Ghedina wonders, gazing up at the ceiling.

Ghedina elaborated upon the Ligety pizza’s signature ingredient, the Northern Italian soft mountain cheese stracchino. According to local legend, stracchino is only produced by milk from tired cows descending the alpine pastures in Autumn. The high-altitude process makes for a flavor rich in fats and more acidic than other varieties of Italian ‘formaggio.’

“I was in the U.S. for four years, and you have the cheddar cheese, the provolone cheese,  imported Brie cheese, the blue cheese, which is our Gorgonzola cheese, but I don’t think you have anything similar to stracchino cheese,” Ghedina ponders.

5 Torri’s pizza tribute criteria

Some racers may think winning on the Olympia delle Tofane piste is easier than having a pizza named in one’s honor. 

Accumulating World Cup wins, world titles and Olympic medals aren’t the sole criteria at 5 Torri. Racers must also frequent the centrally located restaurant when in town and have a creative concoction of ingredients on their pizza of choice. Pineapple is not taken seriously.

Lindsey Vonn, a 12-time winner in Cortina, inquired about having a 5 Torri pizza named after her. She was politely declined. At least for now. That could change.

“Lindsey has been one of our regular customers for ten years and she was always getting only the Margherita pizza,” Ghedina informs. “She wondered, ‘how come there is a Ted Ligety pizza and not a Lindsey Vonn pizza?’”

“I said ‘Lindsey, because it’s already named the Margherita pizza,’” Ghedina says. Common knowledge is that the timeless Italian Neapolitan favorite was believed to be born in 1889. Made by the well-known pizza maker of that era, Raffaele Esposito, it was created for the special occasion of the Queen Margherita of Savoy’s visit. The three simple ingredients – mozzarella, tomatoes and basil – represent the colors of the Italian flag.

Remaining loyal to Queen Margherita, Ghedina says there is still a possibility for the eight-time World Cup downhill champion to claim her pizza. Vonn just needs to pay a visit and add a few ingredients to the royal pizza. 

“I will name a Lindsey Vonn pizza if she orders something other than the Margherita pizza,” Ghedina concedes. “She has probably been here 35 times, so she definitely deserves it. But she needs to come here again and pick another pizza.”

Ligety is open to having other ski racers’ pizzas share his oven, under the right circumstances, of course.

“There are lots of other deserving ski racers out there. But they have to be a 5 Torri loyalist and also have a creative take on it,” he says. “I don’t think your ski racing prowess is the only qualification.” 

Suffice it to say, it’s a hot topping – ahem – topic.

The Mikaela Shiffrin pizza? And what toppings?

Who might be the next worthy recipient of a personal 5 Torri pizza? You don’t need to be one of the premier Italian chef to realize that Mikaela Shiffrin should be on the menu. She is on the verge of surpassing Ingemar Stenmark’s all-time benchmark of 86 World Cup wins. 

Further adding to her pizza-worthy credentials, Shiffrin has four World Championship medals, a super-G victory and a downhill third place on Cortina’s historic racing pistes. You can almost taste her worthiness.

Ski Racing Media contacted Shiffrin as she is busy preparing for next week’s World Championships in the French Alps to pose the pressing question: What would she like on her pizza if 5 Torri was to honor her immense accomplishments? Realizing the urgency of the query, Mikaela quickly delivered her ‘recipe for success.’

“Cheese, “spicy” salami, but not too spicy, mushrooms, garlic, and those Lombardy peppers that are just a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy,” Shiffrin informed SRM without any expectations.

Sounds mouth-watering! Francesco?

Follow Brian on Twitter. @brian_pinelli