New Delhi, Jan. 23 -- The Olympic flame on Thursday crossed through the romantic, lagoon city of Venice, where torchbearers glided on traditional Venetian boats down the Grand Canal and across St. Mark's Basin facing the famed Doge's Palace in one of its most scenic passages ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

The flame arrived near dusk in Venice's Piazzale Roma, the main bus terminal for people arriving in the city. It crossed the Ponte delle Guglie in Cannaregio en route to the arched Rialto Bridge, where it was loaded onto a boat to traverse the Grand Canal toward the wooden Accademia Bridge.

Francesco Lamon, an Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist, was one of the torchbearers on Thursday.

"It's an indescribable emotion," he tol...