Lipomas are benign tumors that are common in other sites but rare in the stomach. They are usually submucosal and, when symptomatic, are most often accompanied by gastrointestinal bleeding from ulceration of gastric mucosa overlying the mass or by symptoms of obstruction. A 55-year-old male with epigastric abdominal pain and upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to a gastric lipoma is presented; endoscopic and x-ray examinations revealed a submucosal tumor on the posterior wall of the gastric corpus, with ulceration in the mucosa covering it. Biopsies of the mass were nondiagnostic. The patient underwent a complete submucosal excision: the intraoperative histologic study established the diagnosis of gastric lipoma. The post operative period was uneventful. A review of the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this rare disease is reported.