One of the things about festivals in Italy, they seem to never end. When I lived in Sedilo, Sardinia, I was fortunate to be able to attend L'ardia di San Costantino, a sacred horse race with inherent dangers that make the Palio di Siena look like a kid's game. What was really cool, though, was that each weekend after there was a different festival along the same lines; a race held for kids on donkeys, a foot race the whole town could participate in, and a horse olympics, where groups of men road horses at full gallup while doing stunts (think of a human pyramid formed on top of two galloping horses).

In some ways the Olympics are structured the same way. After the closing ceremony on Sunday, the place will get spiffed up for the Paralympic Games in early March.

Then, Stefano reminds us that there is the 37th Chess Olympiad slated for May and June. Maybe that one is more my speed.

But wait, there's even more! Stefano reminds us that "this year will be 300 years from the Siege of Torino...Great celebrations are exected for the anniversary on the 7th of September."

Italy is a great place for festivals. I hope to catch carnevale in Ivrea and avoid getting pelted with oranges by wearing a red hat.

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It does end for some of the journalist and television crews, however. The tide of conversation has turned toward the stuff people will take home. Pretty much half the chatter in the press room concerns shopping in some form or other--chocolate and shoes being the most frequently mentioned.