Italian model Vittoria Ceretti shared her profound emotions on Instagram on Saturday, expressing the immense privilege she had of carrying the Italian flag at the Olympic Games. She was referring to the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, which took place on Friday night at Milan's iconic San Siro stadium.
As the girlfriend of Hollywood A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio, Ceretti wrote, "This was the greatest honor of my life. I still can't believe I had the privilege of carrying the Italian flag at the Olympics." She went on to say, "Before I got there, I didn't fully grasp the responsibility I was taking on. Within that flag lies our history, our values, and the beauty of the most incredible country in the world."
Vittoria Ceretti further expressed her gratitude, saying, "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be doing what I love most in front of 80,000 people. Thank you for trusting me. I hope I made you proud, Italy."
The opening ceremony set a record with more than 61,000 tickets sold, according to the local organizers on Saturday. An additional 10,000 spectators watched the ceremony from other locations across northern Italy, where events are being held throughout a vast area.
The artists who performed on Friday, including US pop superstar Mariah Carey, who opened the show in a ceremony that seamlessly blended elements of both the host regions, city, and mountains, did not receive any compensation.
