Stefano Spiller and Giulia Zardini Lacedelli will represent Italy at the European Curling Championships later this month after winning the country’s qualification event earlier this week.
Italian curling went through a dramatic alteration to their top teams this off-season after both of its four-person men’s and women’s rinks failed to make the playoffs at Milano Cortina 2026 as the host nation last winter.
Spiller, who claimed gold at the 2025 World Junior Curling Championship, is just 21 but was given the responsibility of skipping third Amos Mosaner and second Sebastiano Arman, both former members of Joel Retornaz’s veteran rink, as well as his brother, lead Cesare Spiller, this season.
Retornaz, the 43-year-old skip who has represented Italy at four Olympics and 11 world championships, now captains a young team of third Stefano Gilli, second Andrea Gilli and lead Alberto Pimpini.
Team Spiller, who made the playoffs at last year’s World Men’s Curling Championship in Ogden, Utah, took on Team Retornaz in the best-of-five final at the Euro qualifier earlier this week.
Team Retornaz took the first two games before Spiller and company stormed back with three do-or-die victories, 7-3, 5-3 and 6-4, to earn the right to represent Italy at the European Curling Championships last this month.
The annual event runs Oct. 27-Nov. 1 from Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Scotland’s Team Ross Whyte, Sweden’s Team Oskar Eriksson and Switzerland’s Team Marco Hösli, all currently in the top 10 of the world rankings, have already qualified.
Team Retornaz went 4-5 at last year’s Olympics.
Zardini Lacedelli to skip women’s team at Euros
On the women’s side of the draw, 23-year-old Giulia Zardini Lacedelli swept her former skip in Stefania Constantini and will represent Italy at the European Curling Championships.
Team Zardini Lacedelli, featuring third Elena Mathis, second Marta Lo Deserto and lead Rachele Scalesse, won all three games in the best-of-five final, 8-7, 5-4 and 9-5.
The 27-year-old Constantini, who earned a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2022 Olympics as well as bronze in 2026, is now skipping third Lucrezia Grande, second Angela Romei and lead Allegra Grande this year.
Constantini and Zardini Lacedelli were teammates for nearly a decade before going their separate ways at the end of the quadrennial last year. They finished second last at the Olympics with a disappointing 2-7 record.
The women’s field at the Euros is very strong with Sweden’s Team Isabella Wranå and Switzerland’s Team Alina Pätz already qualified.