PHOTOS: Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Milano-Cortina Olympic games have officially started.

The opening ceremony at Milan's San Siro soccer stadium payed tribute to Italian icons who have enriched their history like Leonardo Da Vinci, Giorgio Armani, Federico Fellini and Giacomo Puccini. Mariah Carey performed the famous Italian song "Volare" and hit all the high notes. Following the opening performance, the athletes took the stage to represent their country. The multi-city ceremony format allowed for mountain sport teams like bobsled, curling, and snowboarding to be represented without requiring them to travel hours to Milan.

The ceremony will be re-aired in a primetime broadcast at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

Team USA has 232 athletes competing in the Olympics. The cheers were raucous as the American athletes entered the San Siro stadium and paraded down the path in Livigno. Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha were in attendance at the ceremony.

After the athletes entered the venue, the festivities continued with Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore and other performers acting out Winter Olympics of decades past. Singer Andrea Bocelli took the stage to sing "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's Turandot. The glitzy acts led to the crowning moment of the two olympic cauldrons being lit simultaneously with the Arco della Pace in Milan and the d’Ampezzo in Piazza Dibona in Cortina.

See pictures below of the performances and athletes at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.