Mariah Carey helps to launch Milano Cortina opening ceremony

MILAN/CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 6 - U.S. pop diva Mariah Carey helped to get the party started on Friday as the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics staged a unique opening ceremony combining elements from the co-hosts, seeking to reflect both city and mountain life.

Carey performed the 1950s Italian song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" ("In the blue, painted in blue") with its famous "Volare" ("To fly") refrain in the main event in Milan's San Siro stadium.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among the crowd in the historic soccer stadium.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella was introduced to the fans via a recorded video clip in which the 84-year-old was seen travelling through the city on one of Milan's historic trams.

CEREMONY SPREAD ACROSS VENUES

Co-host Cortina d'Ampezzo had its own supporting role in the celebrations from more than 400 km (250 miles) away in the mountains, in a spectacle entitled "Armonia" (Harmony) expected to draw a huge global audience on television and online.

There was some confusion over access in Cortina.

Loredana Vido, from Padova, owner of a second home in Cortina, was blocked at the start of Corso Italia, the town's main street, and said: “We were not told that everything would be closed off. We were told it was free entry.”

Athletes were also parading in the mountain venues of Livigno and Predazzo, in a Games spread over 22,000 square kilometres.

The ceremony is celebrating the diversity of Italian life, from fashionable Milan to the smaller mountain towns in the Alps that host the outdoor events at the Games, which run until February 22.

Some in Cortina were pleased to get a slice of the action without having to trek to Milan and back.

"Do I wish I was at the full one? Kind of. Am I happy I don't have to spend 10 hours on a bus that day? Yes," said Austin Florian, part of the U.S. skeleton team.

For the first time, two Olympic cauldrons, one of the symbols of the Games, will be lit simultaneously and burn throughout - one at Milan's Arco della Pace (Peace Arch) and the other in Cortina's Piazza Dibona.

Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two of Italy's most successful Alpine skiers, have been tipped to have the honour of lighting the Olympic cauldrons, but the names of those involved and the format have not been disclosed.

PROTESTS IN MILAN

A series of protests took place on Friday, with more planned over the weekend, in the Italian financial capital to oppose the presence of analysts from a department that falls under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

More local issues such as the closure of schools and streets in the city have also irked some Milanese.

Milan enjoyed a sunny afternoon and the mood outside the stadium was festive as crowds built up.

David Arwood, 59, from Washington, D.C., was attending his fifth opening ceremony and did not expect political controversies to spoil the party.

"The Olympics always reflect what's going on in the world," said Arwood, who was wearing novelty glasses featuring the five Olympic rings.

"But I think once the Games start, people tend to forget most of that stuff. It's controversial beforehand, but once the ceremony starts, once the athletes come in I think everybody has a good camaraderie," he added. ($1 = 0.8462 euros) REUTERS