The race started on 11 May with an 8 km cronoscalata, a mountain time trial, in Bologna. The stage concluded with a 2.1 km climb to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. The steep (average gradient 9.7%) climb, which is regularly used as a finish in the Italian autumn classic Giro dell'Emilia, made its debut in the Giro in 1956 in a time trial stage won by Charly Gaul, and had now made its fourth appearance in the Giro. The race is then planned to head south, with the 2nd stage crossing the Apennines into Tuscany honoring the Tuscan cyclist Gino Bartali, with a stage finish in Fucecchio. The following stage will start in Vinci, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, and finish in Orbetello which will also act as the start location for the following stage, where the race will leave Tuscany for the Lazio region with a stage finish in Frascati. Continuing south, the peloton will then leave Frascati for a stage finish in Terracina. Following a short transfer to Cassino, the race is then to cross the country on a hilly stage to the Apulian region on eastern coast, finishing in the town of San Giovanni Rotondo. The race will then head north, with stage finishes in L'Aquila and Pesaro. With the exception of the opening stage, the first part of the race is considered to be dominated by the sprinters and potential breakaways. The battle for the overall win is expected to start during stage nine's individual time trial in San Marino. The stage in San Marino will be the last stage before the rest day, and the only occasion this edition of the Giro leaves Italy.