StraLiterno

The race that kicks off the Caserta running season

StraLiterno is the road race that, in the heart of winter, draws over a thousand runners from across Campania to Villa Literno. Included in the FIDAL federal calendar, the event is organized by the local club A.S.D. Run Lab, led by Lorenzo Vanacore, with the patronage of the Municipality of Villa Literno and the support of the FIDAL Campania regional committee. For many runners in the province of Caserta, it is the appointment that officially inaugurates the competitive road racing year: those who have spent the winter working on their fundamentals find here their first timed test of the season.

The course: ten fast kilometers through the town streets

The course measures approximately 10 kilometers — 9.9 km in the version redesigned for the 2025 edition — and unfolds entirely on asphalt, along a single loop that crosses the town center before returning to the "Vincenzo Tavoletta" municipal stadium, which serves as the meeting point, start, and finish. The profile is essentially flat, like the entire plain surrounding the town: a feature that makes StraLiterno a race suitable for those seeking a good time over ten kilometers, but also accessible to those who run for the sheer pleasure of participating.

A community event

Beyond the times, the day of the StraLiterno is above all a town celebration. Streets are closed to traffic, residents watch from their windows along the route, and the colorful group of runners passes through the center accompanied by the cheers of the public. The format traditionally includes:

• morning meeting at the municipal stadium, with bib distribution;
• a single morning start for the competitive 10 km race;
• awards ceremony for the top overall finishers, men and women;
• age-group category awards;
• team ranking, highly contested by the Campania clubs that arrive in large numbers.

The team ranking is one of the key ingredients explaining the event's high turnout: dozens of running groups from the Caserta and Naples areas bring entire buses of members to the start to win the prize reserved for the most numerous club at the finish line.

The 2025 edition in numbers

The twelfth edition took place on Sunday, February 9, 2025, with the start at 8:30 AM at the Tavoletta stadium, on a sunny day ideal for running. A total of 1,201 finishers were recorded, including 151 women: numbers that bring the race back to pre-pandemic levels. The men's victory went to Gabriele Carraroli (Atletica Latina 80) in 33'27", just one second ahead of Francesco Di Puoti (Atletica Marcianise) and Italo Leone (Atletica Frattaminore). Among the women, Francesca Palomba (Caivano Runners) won in 36'38", confirming her success from the previous year. The Podistica Frattese club prevailed in the team standings.

Villa Literno, between the Volturno plain and the Domitian coast

Villa Literno is a town of just over twelve thousand inhabitants in the province of Caserta, Campania, located about 25 kilometers northwest of Naples and the same distance west of the provincial capital. It is a flat, agricultural territory, a few kilometers from the Domitian coast and Castel Volturno, historically linked to horticulture and served by a railway station that is a key hub on the Tyrrhenian line. The town's name itself refers to the ancient Liternum, the Roman city of the Phlegraean-Domitian area: a root that the race echoes in its own name.

Who is it for?

StraLiterno is a competitive race reserved for FIDAL members, athletes with a Runcard, and members of recognized sports promotion bodies, in accordance with current federal rules. It is therefore not a fun run open to everyone without formalities, but it remains a test within reach of anyone who runs regularly: the manageable distance and flat course make it an excellent testing ground for a debut at the ten-kilometer distance.