Olympic torch reaches Rome

ROME — A relay of dozens of people carried the Olympic torch past many of Rome’s most famous sites Monday, meeting cheering crowds from the Colosseum to the Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps.

When an Olympic archer jogged the torch past the Colosseum, where gladiators once fought bloody battles, excited fans waved little red flags that read, “I saw the flame.”

“It’s indescribable,” said top archer Ilario Di Buo after handing over the torch to the next person in the relay. “My legs are still trembling.”

The flame began its 30-mile relay here under a scorching sun at the Stadium of Marbles, a Fascist-built running track surrounded by 60 towering pseudo-classical statues of athletes. Later it passed the Colosseum, the Forum, which was the political and commercial center of ancient Rome, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

“You can feel everyone getting into the spirit of it,” said Olympic 400-meter champion Cathy Freeman of Australia, who took the flame on its first leg in Sydney and has accompanied it on several stops. “Carrying the flame you are lighting the world up.”

Around sunset, an eight-person boat was rowing the torch for a stretch along the River Tiber. The last stop was the park of Villa Borghese for the lighting of a ceremonial cauldron. Celebrations there were set to include sports displays and a play.

“It’s very beautiful and an event that is sensational to take part in,” said torchbearer Alessio Boggiatto of Italy, who has won European and World swimming titles and is now preparing to compete at the Olympics in Greece this summer. “It already gives you a little taste before going to the games.”