Athens marathon Olympic gold medalist Stefano Baldini holds the Olympic flame as he runs past a Cuirassier in the courtyard of Quirinale Presidential Palace in Rome Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005. President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi passed the Olympic flame to Baldini to begin the torch relay for the Turin Winter Games. The flame will cover 11,300 kilometers (7,022 miles) throughout Italy involving 10,001 torchbearers, gondolas, a Ferrari sports car and a cavalry regiment before arriving in Turin for the opening ceremony on Feb. 10th. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)