The Olympic flame made a historic journey through Venice on Thursday, gliding along the Grand Canal and across St. Mark's Basin in one of its most scenic passages ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Games.
The torch arrived near dusk at Piazzale Roma, Venice's main bus terminal, before crossing the Ponte delle Guglie in Cannaregio en route to the Rialto Bridge. From there, it was loaded onto a boat to traverse the Grand Canal toward the Accademia Bridge.
Francesco Lamon, an Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist, was among the torchbearers. "It's an indescribable emotion," he told the Associated Press.
Venice, historically a nexus between Eastern and Western civilizations, is the capital of the Veneto region, which includes host city Cortina in the Dolomites. On clear days, snow-capped mountains are visible from the historic centre.
After a foot passage, the flame will again travel by boat across the lagoon to San Giorgio island, then return across St. Mark's Basin to St. Mark's Square, passing the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica.
Venice is the 46th stage of the 63-day, 12,000-kilometre torch relay that began in Rome and will cover all 110 Italian provinces before reaching Milan's San Siro Stadium for the opening ceremony on 6 February. The Games run until 22 February, with the closing ceremony in Verona.
