This year's Giro d'Italia includes six mountain finishes and seven other hilly stages, organisers said on Wednesday as they announced full details of the route for the May 8-30 race.
The world's second biggest stage race after the Tour de France will this year have a record overall difference in height of 46,900 metres.
That should favour the specialist climbers including Colombian Egan Bernal, the 2019 Tour de France champion, and home hope Vincenzo Nibali.
There will be two time trials, one to start the race in Turin and the second to end it in Milan, six stages for sprinters and seven high-mountain stages including six uphill finishes.
The race will leave Italy twice, moving into Slovenia and Switzerland, and will cover 14 of Italy's 20 regions.
Briton Tao Geoghegan Hart, last year's Giro winner, will not be defending his title as he is focusing on the Tour de France.
(Reporting by Peter Hall, editing by Ed Osmond)
