by Francesca Di Meglio

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London officially kicked off on July 27, and Italy started on the right foot. In just two days the country has already won the gold in a couple of competitions and there is talk of continued success at future Olympics. For starters, Michele Frangilli, Marco Galiazzo and Mauro Nespoli took top honors against the U.S. team in team archery.

"I have been chasing this medal for 16 years," said Frangilli through a translator, according to Boston.com. He had been on teams in previous Olympics that had won the bronze and silver. "With the last arrow that hit, I think it was my dream. I think it was my biggest contribution."

Elisa Di Francisca faced off against her teammate Arianna Errigo to win the gold in fencing's individual foil. The all-Italian final was intense. "This is very emotional for me," Di Francisca said, according to the Washington Post. "The final was very, very difficult. I went from 'I want to win' to 'I don't want to win' to 'I want to win.' I was just afraid of winning. Errigo is a very strong player and we both know each other so well." In addition, Valentina Vezzali won the bronze in the same competition. It was a clean sweep for the Italians.

There was one shocker in which Italy was on the losing end. The triple world champions, the Italian men's volleyball team fell to the Poles. Ferocious booing against the Italians may have shaken the team, according to Reuters. In the article, the team admitted that they might have been intimidated by aggressive Polish fans, who were high on previous wins that proved the team was up and coming.

Still, the Italians are maintaining sportsman-like behavior. The country honored the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. There was a memorial service in a synagogue in Rome. Similar services took place in Milan and Torino. And there were moments of silence both for Italian athletes in the Olympic Village and in the Chamber of Deputies, according to JewishJournal.

One thing is certain. You're not going to want to miss Italy in the rest of the Olympics.

Di Meglio is the author of Fun with the Family New Jersey, which is available on Amazon.com and the Guide to Newlyweds for About.com. You can follow her life and work at the Two Worlds Web site.