Feasting On An Italian Celebration

TURIN, Italy -- Dante. The Renaissance. Ferrari. Sophia Loren. Futurism. Pavarotti.

These people, they don't skimp.

They promised "a leap across space and time" at the Opening Ceremonies of the 20th Winter Games and the Italians, hosting their first Olympiad in 46 years, delivered in the most breathtaking, theatrical and, if we're being honest, occasionally kitschy way imaginable.

An amalgam of history, culture, pride and pyrotechnics captivated the stuffed and standing Olympic Stadium on Friday night, ushering in a new era of progress for the Turinese and their industrial, often-overlooked city.

Two years ago the Olympic Stadium was a graffiti-strewn, dilapidated hole of a facility. Its seats were damaged and it was only used by Turin's second-division soccer team. How it morphed into the world's grand and hospitable theater for one clear, cold night beneath the Alps says more about the Turinese than Italy's ability to procure the Games.

There was one upset before the competition began. Alberto Tomba, the great Italian slalom champion -- three-time gold medalist, the life of the party at every ski lodge that serves a Chianti -- was nudged out by a 5-foot-1, 104-pound five-time Olympian.

Cross-country star Stefania Belmondo, a two-time gold medalist, lit the Olympic cauldron instead of her much more famous countryman. Her nickname is the Little Bird, so essentially Uccellino bumped La Bomba.

Most observers would liken this to Muhammad Ali handing off his torch-lighting duties in Atlanta 10 years ago to Joe Frazier or, well, Earnie Shavers. But Belmondo was a perfect choice, given the esprit of the evening.

She was the resilient legend whose right ski pole snapped in 2002 at the Salt Lake Games, her final Olympics. She went from first to 10th in seven seconds, until a French coach handed her a too-big replacement pole and she eventually got another from an Italian assistant. Belmondo somehow made up ground and passed the nine skiers, miraculous winning the gold by 1.8 seconds.

On a very egalitarian night in Italy, the choice of Belmondo was apropos. In an historical first, eight women carried the Olympic flag into the Opening Ceremonies. Of course, everyone recognized the still-resplendent Sophia Loren and Susan Sarandon, but there were six more chosen because of their commitment to peace and fraternity among cultures -- including Somaly Mam, the Cambodian human rights activist fighting for years against sexual exploitation of young Cambodian women.

Keeping with the peace theme, Peter Gabriel, who beautifully sang John Lennon's "Imagine," was introduced by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.

The more you thought about it, an empowered woman had to light the flame.