Turin (Italy): The Winter Games got underway on Friday with a fiery opening ceremony dedicated to passion and to igniting the competitive spirits of more than 2,500 of the world's best athletes.
Before a cheering audience bundled against the cold, Yuri Chechi, one of Italy's greatest gymnasts and a gold medal winner, swung a mighty hammer onto a bronze anvil.
And so the pageantry began. "Rhythm, Passion and Speed," promised the show's producers, and those watching -- an estimated 35,000 at the Olympic Stadium and 2 billion tuning in on television -- got all of that.
What they didn't get was an explanation for some of the extravaganza's more surreal moments punctuated by Fellini, Dante and dancing trees.
In a tribute to the seven countries abutting the majestic Alps -- including Austria, Germany and France -- dancers wearing green sheaths pranced near brightly painted fake cows pulled on rollers.
It was a homage to mountain life and livestock, and to cheer both, the stadium audience had been supplied with clanging cow bells.
The ceremony also featured Peter Gabriel performing John Lennon's "Imagine" and tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
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