Milan - The Giro d'Italia, one of the three iconic Grand Tour cycling races, will take a detour through Slovenia this year. The 15th stage will take the riders to the winemaking region of Goriška Brda and the city of Nova Gorica in the west of the country on Sunday, 23 May.

With the start and finish in Italy, the stage will run from Grado to Gorizia and will be perfect for sprinters, the organizers said at the presentation of the 104th Giro in Milan on Wednesday.

The world's second biggest stage race after the Tour de France, the Giro will set off in Turin on 8 May to finish in Milan on 30 May, visiting 14 out of Italy's 20 provinces and crossing into Slovenia and Switzerland on the way in a total of 21 stages.

The municipalities of Brda and Nova Gorica attributed the credit for the Giro visiting Slovenia to Edy Reja, an Italian football coach of Slovenian descent, and the excellent cross-border relationship.

They described the rolling hills of Brda and the surrounding area as a "real treat" and magnet for cyclists year-round.

The Giro has visited the region before, 20 years ago.

It is seen as yet another success for the border region after Nova Gorica won its bid to host the 2025 European Capital of Culture with its Italian counterpart Gorizia.