"The 2½-hour ceremony opened with a whimsical tribute to Italian lyric opera, with the stage director rousing not only the closing ceremony cast, including Italian singer Achille Lauro, but also long-dormant opera characters tucked away in crates within the amphitheater's tunnels. On stage, Madama Butterfly in a bright pink and green costume and Aida in golden tiers were unpacked from mirrored crates while 17th century musicians played the joyous "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" from La Traviata,"
"The opera characters, led by the jester Rigoletto, spilled out into the piazza outside, mixing with the bemused athletes who were flag-bearers for their countries, some of whom pulled out their phones to film. In a key moment, the Olympic flame encased in a Venetian glass vessel was carried into the Arena by Italian gold medalists from the 1994 Lillehammer Games."
"The Olympic rings illuminated in white appeared high on the stone stairs behind the stage, flanked by national flags, when one raised the flame in the center of the stage. This is the first Games for the International Olympic Committee president, Kirsty Coventry, a two-time Olympic champion in swimming, who watched the ceremony alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni."
Milan Cortina Olympics concluded with a closing ceremony in Verona's ancient Arena, positioned roughly mid-distance among widely spread mountain, valley and city venues. Some 1,500 Olympians processed into the stone amphitheater waving small national flags while the crowd sang along to a medley of 20th-century Italian pop hits. The program opened with a whimsical tribute to Italian lyric opera that unpacked costumed characters such as Madama Butterfly and Aida and featured 17th-century musicians performing a La Traviata passage. Opera figures mingled with athletes in the piazza, and Italian 1994 Olympic gold medalists carried the Olympic flame as illuminated rings rose on the stone stairs.
Read at ESPN.com
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