Two years ago, the Alessio family watched the spectacle broadcast from their hometown of Torino and seen around the world.
The opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games prompted a spontaneous singing of Italy's national anthem, and had a profound impact on Federica Testa.
She was the girlfriend of one of the Alessio's sons. Back then, she told CTV that the ceremony completely changed her opinion of hosting the games.
She didn't care about them all until that. But now she remembers it as a very exciting time -- with the only sad moment when the Olympic flame went out.
Like many here, Testa says she's proud of what Torino accomplished.
Even in the last days before the Games, there were plenty of sceptics who didn't believe this industrial city could pull it off.
Some venues weren't finished until the last minute. And there were predictions the games would go $200 million over budget. It turned out to be just $32 million, which the former organizing committee says has now been all but wiped out.
Billions have been invested in new infrastructure, largely sparked by the Games.
Franco Alessio, a retired teacher, says before the Games people here were viewed as "cold" and not very outgoing. The Olympics helped change that.
There's a sense of self-confidence here. The Turinese are no longer seen as timid after their Olympic triumph.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Mike Killeen
