Cynics, noting that officials in Nagano, Japan, (which hosted the 1998 Winter games) have already burned their documents, predict the expanding investigation will show that corruption has permeated Olympics site selection for years.
Detractors are certain the investigation can uncover a culture of fraudulent conduct in the Olympic organization and host cities.
The gilt has gone from the freshly restored facade of the 15th-century Ca' d'Oro (Golden House), but it's still the town's most beautiful and best preserved of the city's Gothic palaces and home to the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti Museum.