As anticipation builds for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February, we at Dream of Italy are also buzzing. You can discover all our Olympic coverage here. The Italian Alps have already hosted the Winter Olympic Games, and soon the spotlight will shine once again on these beautiful mountains. Before Cortina, Turin also hosted the Winter Games in 2006, and I asked my friend Mike Nelson to recount the highlights of that edition.
It is Italy’s first capital, a major center of Italy’s automotive industry, the home of an iconic burial cloth, and where Italy’s first female lawyer was educated, admitted to the bar, dismissed for being (gasp!) a woman, and — nearly 40 years later — readmitted, permanently. (Or haven’t you watched Netflix’s “The Law According to Lidia Poët”?)
But since 2006, Torino (or Turin) has become a popular tourist destination and a major European sports center. For that, credit the impact of the Games of the XX Winter Olympiad, which enabled this vibrant city near the River Po and the base of the Italian Alps to display its exciting cultural life and stunning architecture.
And for that, credit the impact of worldwide television: the Torino Games, held February 10-26, 2006, were the first Olympics seen live on mobile phones and high-definition TV. Following are some of the highlights:
Sorpresa!
Torino was awarded the Winter Games on June 19, 1999 in something of an upset decision by the International Olympic Committee. Sion, Switzerland, was considered the favorite, but scandal surrounding the selection process of 2002 host Salt Lake City — which IOC member Marc Hodler of Switzerland had exposed — turned many voters toward Torino, 140 miles south.
Lo spirito di comunità
Torino’s Olympic motto was “Passion Lives Here,” by Italian calligrapher Francesca Biasetton. The logo depicted a stylized profile of Torino’s famous Mole Antonelliana building, signifying the snow, sky, web of new technologies and the Olympic spirit of community.
The Mole Antonelliana, completed in 1889, was named for its architect, Alessandro Antonelli, who died before it was completed. Today it houses the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, thought to be the world’s tallest museum.
‘All’alba, vincerò!’
The Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 10 at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torin was attended by 35,000 spectators and viewed by 2 billion worldwide. Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi declared the Games open; Italian Alpine skiing star Giorgio Rocca recited the Athletes’ Oath; and the Olympic Flame was lit by 10-time Olympic cross-country skiing medalist Stefania Belmondo, a native of nearby Cuneo.
Closing the ceremony: the incomparable Luciano Pavarotti, attired in a black cape adorned with silver Olympic rings, singing Nessun Dorma and its concluding line, “At dawn, I shall win!” It was Pavarotti’s last public performance of his signature aria; he died Sept. 6, 2007.
Il triplo
The competition included 84 medal events and 2,508 competitors, nearly 40% of them women, more than triple the total of 1956. First-time events included speed skating team pursuit, mass-start biathlon races, and snowboard cross. Germany led all nations with 29 total medals and 11 gold.
‘Il Cannibale’
Among Italy’s five gold medalists was luge specialist Armin Zöggeler, known as “The Cannibal” and “The Iceblood Champion” (Il campione dal sangue di ghiaccio) for his cold, steely approach to competition. Among the greatest lugers of all time (“the Michael Jordan of luge,” said an American competitor), Zöggeler carried Italy’s flag at the closing ceremony. He would retire from competition in 2014 after having medaled in the same event six consecutive Olympics (1998-2014), a feat unequalled by any Olympian.
Altre stelle
Earning three gold medals each were South Korea’s Ahn Hyun-Soo and Jin Sun-Yu (short track speed skating) and Germany’s Michael Greis (biathlon). Earning the most medals, however, was Canada’s Cindy Klassen, with five (one gold, two silver, two bronze) in women’s speed skating. She was the first in her sport to win five in a single Olympics.
‘Ora tocca a te, fratello!’
Winning the men’s 50-kilometer cross-country skiing event on February 26, the final day of competition, was Italy’s Giorgio Di Centa, his second gold of the Games. At the Closing Ceremony, Giorgio received his gold medal from … his older sister, Manuela Di Centa, an IOC member and seven-time Olympic medalist (two gold) in cross-country skiing. Three years earlier, Manuela had become the first Italian woman to climb Mount Everest.
‘Ama, Credi e Vai’
The Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 26 was themed Carnevale, coinciding with Italy’s masked festival that continued through “Fat Tuesday,” February 28. Before the flame was extinguished, Andrea Boccelli sang, “Because We Believe,” accompanied by 500 Italian “brides” in white carrying lighted lilies and forming “the Dove of Peace.”
Bentornato!
A cluster of communities in the French Alps will host the Olympic Winter Games of 2030 — joined by Torino, where the long-track speed skating competition is scheduled take place at Oval Lingotto, as in 2006. It would be the first time in Winter Games history that a city outside the host Olympic country would host an event. Grazie mille, Torino!
– Mike Nelson