The sprinters will have just one opportunity at Il Giro d’Abruzzo 2026, and they cannot afford to let it slip away. Stage 3, from Oricola-Piana del Cavaliere to San Benedetto dei Marsi, features no significant climbing, making a bunch sprint the most likely outcome.
The fraction starts at the westernmost edge of Abruzzo, close to the border with Lazio, with Oricola overlooking the Piana del Cavaliere and the nearby Aniene Valley. The village sits at around 800 metres above sea level, clustered around its fortress, which was rebuilt in the second half of the 15th century and today partly houses the town hall. At its foot lies the Piana del Cavaliere, a broad basin in western Marsica surrounded by the towns of Carsoli, Pereto and Rocca di Botte. For centuries, this area has served as a natural gateway between Rome and the Abruzzo hinterland, a role reinforced by the ancient Via Tiburtina Valeria.
After the start, the race heads across the Fucino Plain, passing through Magliano de’ Marsi, Celano and Gioia dei Marsi before reaching San Benedetto dei Marsi, where the riders will tackle a 27.7 km circuit featuring gentle rolling terrain. The finishing straight rises slightly, but the fast men are almost certain to fight it out for victory.
Located on the eastern edge of the Fucino Plain, San Benedetto dei Marsi stands on the site of ancient Marruvium, one of the main settlements of the Marsi, an Italic people, and later a Roman municipium. Traces of this history remain today, including a domus decorated with mosaics, an amphitheatre and a section of ancient paved road. The original settlement once overlooked the waters of Lake Fucino, before the lake was drained in the 19th century, transforming the landscape into a fertile agricultural plain. For both Oricola and San Benedetto, this will be an exciting first appearance as host towns of a major cycling race.
