l'Unità writer Gino Sala named Felice Gimondi, Jacques Anquetil, Vittorio Adorni, Eddy Merckx, and Motta as the main contenders for the overall crown.

[10] The sixth leg saw an overnight ferry transfer from Palermo on mainland Italy to the island of Sicily for the next two stages.

[10] With the seventh stage hosting a summit finish to Mount Etna (1,892 m (6,207 ft)) it was hoped to be pivotal in the general classification race.

Jacques Anquetil considered himself robbed, claiming that Felice Gimondi had escaped by being taken away by the assistant race director's car.

Jacques Anquetil's words were corroborated on his deathbed in 2012 by Giovanni Michelotti, the race director at the time.

The leader of the general classification – calculated by adding the stage finish times of each rider – wore a pink jersey.