A piston stroke limiting device for a reciprocating compressor of the type including a piston (2) reciprocating inside a cylinder (3), which is closed by a cylinder head (4) and defines, between the latter and the top of the piston (2), a compression chamber (5), said device comprising: a driving element (40) provided in one of the parts defined by the piston (2) and the cylinder head (4) and projecting to the inside of the compression chamber (5), in order to touch the other of said parts when the piston (2) surpasses a predetermined nominal position at the end of the compression stroke; and a relief valve (60), which is selectively displaced from a closed condition, in which it is seated on a respective valve seat (51) defined in a relief passage (50) communicating the compression chamber (5) with a region of the compressor subject to a substantially lower operational pressure, to an open condition, by action of the driving element (40), when the piston (2) surpasses said predetermined nominal position at the end of the compression stroke.