Milano-Taranto Historical Re-enactment - Venticano Stopover 39

The Milano-Taranto stopover in Venticano

Every summer, in the heart of Irpinia, Venticano becomes the stage for a few hours for one of the most beloved events in European motorcycling: the Milano-Taranto, a historical re-enactment for vintage motorcycles that retraces the route of the legendary road race. The caravan, consisting of hundreds of motorcycles built between the 1930s and the 1990s, enters the town in the morning for a technical and refreshment stop that the Municipality of Venticano, in the province of Avellino, has transformed into a true popular festival, included in the municipal summer calendar.

In 2026, the 39th edition chose Venticano as the first stop of the penultimate stage, which takes competitors from the Caserta area to San Giovanni Rotondo, crossing Irpinia, Sannio, Daunia, and Capitanata. This is a significant recognition for a town of just over two thousand inhabitants that, edition after edition, has rightfully become one of the great protagonists of the legendary Mi-Ta refreshment stop rankings.

A legendary race turned into a journey through memory

The Milano-Taranto was born in the 1930s as a real road competition and wrote fundamental pages in the history of Italian two-wheelers. Since 1987, it has been revived as a non-competitive historical re-enactment and is now considered the most important European event dedicated to vintage motorcycles. Six stages, about 1,700 kilometers, seven reference cities—Milan, Padua, Arezzo, Tivoli, Caserta, San Giovanni Rotondo, and Taranto—and an Italy crossed from north to south along secondary roads, Apennine passes, and towns that await the caravan's passage as a small identity-defining event.

The admitted categories tell the story of a century of motorcycling: Le Gloriose (up to 175 cc, models that participated in the Milano-Taranto of the 1950s), Storica, Sport, Vintage for motorcycles built up to 1990, the Elettrica-Retrofit section, and the Assaggiatori. Among the brands competing are names that have made Italian history: Moto Guzzi, Gilera, Moto Morini, Parilla, Benelli, MV Agusta, Laverda, Ducati, Bianchi.

The Irpinian refreshment: mozzarella, caciocavallo impiccato, and escarole pizza

In Venticano, the stop is not just a time check: it is a story of the territory. The Municipal Administration, the Moto Club Venticano, the Pro Loco, and a large group of volunteers set up a refreshment area that in recent editions has served mozzarella stretched on the spot by the Caseificio Grelle, the famous caciocavallo impiccato, artisanal gelato, pasta with pennyroyal, and pizza with escarole: Irpinian cuisine in its most authentic versions.

• Welcome for riders and motorcycles in the town center
• Tasting of typical Irpinian products offered by volunteers
• Tour of the village with municipal administrators
• Children and families photographing the crews
• Departure of the caravan towards Sannio and Daunia

Venticano, Irpinia, and the municipal summer

Venticano has about 2,300 inhabitants and is located at an altitude of 375 meters among the hills of inland Campania, including the hamlets of Campanarello, Calore, and Castello del Lago. It is a municipality known throughout the region for its artisanal ham production, the wines of the Calore Valley, and the Trade Fair that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every spring. The Milano-Taranto stop is part of the municipal summer program which, from July to September, enlivens Piazza Monumento ai Caduti, Piazza Santa Maria, Piazza Pio, and the Cavea Teatrale with theater, music, sports, and popular traditions.

Why it's worth being there

Seeing the Milano-Taranto pass by means witnessing a museum in motion: 1950s single-cylinder bikes, sporty twin-cylinders, riders who have exceeded twenty participations, and machines restored with obsessive care. In Venticano, all this mixes with the hospitality of an Irpinian town that opens its squares, offers food, and applauds the passage: the ideal opportunity to combine a passion for motors with the discovery of a piece of Campania still little touched by mass tourism.