But it ended well, with a succession if Italian Olympic heroes beginning with Alberto Tomba carrying the Olympic flame into the stadium and passing it on until all-time Italian cross-country skiing great Stefania Belmondo touched it to a loop of metal, igniting fountains of white fireworks that raced around the stadium, climbed the 187-foot Olympic torch and burst into flames at the top.

As torch lightings go, it was very, very good.

Also very, very good was the way the athletes were treated. Traditionally, they march into the stadium and take seats in the stands, where they are reduced to spectators at their own welcoming party. The Italians instead put them in a pit in the center of the stadium, where they had the best seat in the house for everything — whether beautiful, goofy or beyond comprehension — that went on around them.

When it came time to take the Olympic oath, Italian skier Giorgio Rocca didn’t leave his fellow competitors and mount a podium, he stood among them and took the oath as the athletes stood and recorded the moment on camcorders, cameras and cell phones.

Such is the lure of the Olympics that every nation that possibly can send an athlete does — with the notable exception of Mexico. But Bermuda sent a figure skater. Kenya sent a cross-country skier. Thailand came up with an athlete in some sport. Lebanon sent six. Madagascar sent one.

Slide show   U.S. Olympic hopefuls A look at athletes who have the best shot at gold in Turin.

The Brazilian team won hands-down for style with bright yellow vests, jaunty fury fedoras and pants that seemed undecided between being clamdiggers or knickers.

The United States team was well behaved for the second Olympics in a row — a new record for them — and sported hip-hop inspired hats that you either thought looked really cool or made you wonder why they were wearing their underwear on their heads.

The Russians had big fur collars, but the Mongolians were the nation most likely to be boycotted by PETA when they entered wearing what looked like families of large dead animals on their heads.

The Germans won hands-down for worst ensemble by a major sports country, wearing outfits featuring a sort of burnt red-orange and an avocado-ish green — colors that appear neither in nature nor in the nation’s flag.

Finally, the Italian team entered to the thunderous cheers of a home crowd that as early as that afternoon hadn’t been showing many visible signs of excitement about the Olympics. And, thanks to Giorgio Armani, they looked awfully good, too, dressed in quilted silver parkas with fur-trimmed hoods and close-fitting black pants.

Italy isn’t expected to win many medals at its own Olympics, but they’re going to look good losing.