Milan, Rome, Naples: the enduring charm of Italy's great cities

The 2026 edition of the Giro d’Italia will be remembered as the one that brings together Italy’s great cities. Naples, Milan, and Rome will take center stage, respectively hosting three spectacular stage finishes that reaffirm the Corsa Rosa’s mission: bringing the race to the most beautiful places.

Naples is set to return as a key protagonist of the Giro d’Italia on May 14, confirming its role as one of the race’s symbolic cities in recent years. The major novelty will be the finish line in Piazza del Plebiscito, unlike previous editions where the stage concluded along the seafront.

The great cities of the 2026 Giro d’Italia

Naples’ recent history with the Giro d’Italia inevitably begins in 2013, when the city hosted the Grande Partenza: Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory on Via Caracciolo, kicking off a Giro in which he would go on to win five stages and claim the points jersey.

Following Naples’ big return to the Giro in 2022, with victory by Thomas De Gendt, the tradition of sprinters continued in the following years with Mads Pedersen, Olav Kooij, and Kaden Groves, who triumphed in 2025 under the rain.

With the new finish line location, predicting a winner for 2026 will be far from easy – the challenge is wide open.

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The great return of Milan

Milan is ready to embrace the Giro d’Italia once again. The Lombard capital, which for many years served as the race’s final destination, welcomes the Corsa Rosa back after five years. It was last in 2021 -when Milan hosted the final time trial of the edition won by Egan Bernal – that the city featured in the Giro. On 24 May, Milan will mark the end of the second week of racing, hosting the finish of a 157 km stage starting from Voghera.

This will be the 90th stage finish in Giro d’Italia history in Milan, a record that highlights the deep bond between the city and Italy’s greatest cycling race. That connection is further strengthened by the fact that Milan has hosted the final stage 79 times. On paper, the stage appears suited to sprinters – an key opportunity before the demanding final week of racing.

Grand Finale in Rome

The 2026 Giro d’Italia will conclude in Rome on Sunday, 31 May. It will be the fourth consecutive year that the Italian capital hosts the grand finale of the Corsa Rosa, now a well-established tradition. The stage will once again feature a “touristic” route through the city before the final sprint showdown, and Rome will also host the Family Ride open to all.

After last year’s passage through the Vatican – where riders were welcomed by Pope Leo XIV – more surprises are expected for the 2026 finale. Iconic landmarks such as the Imperial Forums and the Colosseum will take center stage, with an additional stretch along the Ostia coastline. A sprint finish seems highly likely, with Jonathan Milan among the most anticipated contenders, after missing out on a fourth stage win in 2024 due to a late puncture.

This will be the eighth time Rome hosts the Giro’s grand finale. After early editions in 1911 and 1950, the race returned in 2009 – won by Denis Menchov – and again in 2018, the year of Chris Froome. Since 2023, Rome has crowned champions such as Primož Roglič (2023), Tadej Pogačar (2024), and Simon Yates (2025). In just over a month, we will discover who will lift the Trofeo Senza Fine in the shadow of the Colosseum.