A two-stroke internal combustion engine includes: a piston-cylinder group defining a combustion and a pumping chamber, the piston mobile in the cylinder between a bottom dead center where the combustion chamber's volume is maximum and the pumping chamber's volume is minimum, and a top dead center, where the combustion chamber's volume is minimum and the pumping chamber's volume is maximum. The engine also includes an intake conduit communicating with the pumping chamber, an exhaust conduit communicating with the combustion chamber, at least a pair of transfer conduits allowing communication between the pumping and combustion chambers, and at least two primary channels in the piston, individually provided with an inlet facing onto the exhaust conduit and an outlet facing on a respective transfer conduit at least when the piston is at the top dead center. A lateral surface of the piston includes a lowering where the primary channels inlets are located.