Olympic Torch arrives in Milan to cheers and protests

The Olympic torch arrived in front of Milan’s giant gothic cathedral amid cheers and protests in the city on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Winter Games.

Nicoletta Manni, a leading ballet dancer at the nearby La Scala theatre, carried the flame on to a platform in the shadow of the cathedral where it was used to light a brazier.

Most of those packing the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) in light rain and along the route had cheered the torch’s passage and snapped photos with their smartphones.