Diego Ulissi marked the Giro d'Italia's return to Italian soil with a home victory after making a late break on stage four, but Tom Dumolin is the man in pink.

Having been part of an 11-man group to move clear of the peloton after the second category three climb on the 200-kilometre route from Catanzaro to Praia a Mare, Ulissi made his solo break with 6.8km to go.

The Lampre-Merida rider navigated the final descent – including two tunnels – with ease and although his lead was cut in the closing metres, the Italian clung on to claim the win.

Ulissi's victory was not enough to put him in the pink jersey, though, with the 26-year-old sitting in third, 20 seconds behind new leader, Team Giant-Alpecin's Dumoulin.

Dumoulin was part of the pack chasing Ulissi late on the stage, the Frenchman part of a two-man attack in the final kilometre that ultimately put him back at the top of the general classification. 

A quartet of riders made the early break on Tuesday's stage in southern Italy and held their lead through the opening category three climb.

One of those leaders – Nicola Boem of Bardiani – took the first sprint and climbing points of the day, but was unable to make it a clean sweep as Damiano Cunego (Nippi - Vini Fantini) crossed the summit of San Pietro first, and Pieter Serry (Etixx-QuickStep) snatched the final sprint points.

After negotiating the second category climb the race began to spread out as attack after attack came from the peloton, the undulating road enabling time to be quickly made up on the descents.

For leader Marcel Kittel it was not such a good day, though, as the Etixx-QuickStep rider dropped off the back of the leading two groups to finish over a minute adrift.

With Kittel's threat neutralised a tense finish between the leading 11 looked likely, but Ulissi had other ideas and made a bold break for home that nobody was able to reel in.