Everywhere you travel in Italy there are cyclists on the road – it is a very popular sport.

This years Giro d’Italia, Italy’s national cycling road race, will be travelling through Ponte a Serraglio in Bagni di Lucca, the village we lived in during our stay in Italy. The cyclists will be racing directly past Villa Isabella and then turning right at the piazza and over the little bridge past our friend Debra’s balcony. Keep you eye out for her – she will be waving the Australian flag to say hello to us.

The stage starts in La Spezia over on the coast and finishes in Abetone – a ski resort in the Apennine Mountains, about 40 km from Ponte a Serraglio.

Giro d’Italia is to Italians what Tour de France is to the French and the spectators are just as passionate.

The tour is being televised on Foxtel Eurosport (Ch: 511). The broadcast of Stage 5 from La Spezia to Abetone will start at 8:30pm this Wednesday.

Let me show you some photos of the route they will take through the villag.

This is the avenue leading into Ponte a Serraglio.

Past Villa Isabella where we stayed.

Along Viale Casino Municipale – the road on the left of these photos – and into the piazza.

Here are some cyclists doing just that.

From the piazza they will turn right over the little bridge which is right below Debra’s balcony. This is the view of the piazza and bridge from her balcony.

She will be waving the Aussie flag for us – it’s the truncated balcony with the potplants.

Deb – although they will probably whizz past fairly quickly I hope you all have a wonderful day enjoying all the fanfare of the Giro d’Italia.