Latest Italian Studies Book Reviews: 'Annali d’italianistica' on Italian History, Literature, and Language Research

Celebrating Italian Scholarship in 2025

In its 2025 issue (Volume 43), Annali d’italianistica—a leading international journal in Italian Studies—features reviews of three of our recent publications that explore Italy’s history, culture, and language from fresh scholarly perspectives. From the nation-building years of the nineteenth century to the literary and human legacy of Clara Sereni and the evolving methodologies of teaching Italian as a foreign language, these reviews highlight the richness and diversity of current Italian research. Together, they reaffirm the continuing vitality of Italian Studies and the role of academic publishing in connecting new generations of readers, educators, and researchers with Italy’s multifaceted cultural heritage.

Review Highlights

Italy in the Second Half of the 19th Century

[...] In this volume we find eleven thought-provoking articles that enhance the story of Italy in the exciting turbulence of its early nation building. [...] Admirably researched and detailed [...] it will certainly attract serious readers of Italian History and will undoubtedly serve to inspire further academic explorations of the fascinating years of Italian post-Unification.

[Extract from book review on 'Annali d’italianistica' (Italian Studies Journal). Volume 43 (2025). pp. 573-575. Reviewer: Anne Urbancic (Victoria College in the University of Toronto) https://annali.org/volume-43-2025/ ]

The Literary and Human Legacy of Clara Sereni

[...] the volume acts as an essential toolbox for understanding Sereni’s complexity, caught between the legacy of the Resistance, the drama of the Cold War, the trauma of the Lead Years, the rise of feminist consciousness, the needs of neurodiverse populations and their caregivers, and the rediscovery of food traditions. [...]

[Extract from book review on 'Annali d’italianistica' (Italian Studies Journal). Volume 43 (2025). PP. 736-738. Reviewer: Stefania Benini (Franklin & Marshall College) https://annali.org/volume-43-2025/ ]

Italian as a Foreign Language: Teaching and Acquisition in Higher Education

[...] Methodological pluralism is the collection’s primary strength: every essay provides ready-to-use task banks for lecturers who face time constraints. [...] "Italian as a Foreign Language" merits a place on the program director’s shelf. Its wide mix of phonetic clinics, field-work ethnographies, and LSP modules demonstrates a curriculum where disciplinary content and linguistic form develop together. While instructors seeking robust analytics or globalsouth perspectives must look elsewhere, the collection offers an indispensable repertoire for redesigning post-pandemic courses that aim beyond generic communicative competence. Recommended for MA-level teacher-training seminars and for departments intent on integrating Italian into art history, geography, media studies, or performance, this volume serves as a vehicle for the profession-ready literacy.

[Extract from book review on 'Annali d’italianistica' (Italian Studies Journal). Volume 43 (2025). pp 752-754. Reviewer: Deion Dresser (University of Pennsylvania). https://annali.org/volume-43-2025/ ]

Continuing the Dialogue in Italian Studies

These three reviews in Annali d’italianistica (Volume 43, 2025) underscore the ongoing relevance of Italian Studies in today’s academic landscape. Each volume—whether addressing the social transformation of post-Unification Italy, the literary and ethical resonance of Clara Sereni, or innovative approaches to teaching Italian as a foreign language—reflects the field’s interdisciplinary energy and global reach. We are proud to see these works recognized for their scholarly contribution and invite readers, educators, and institutions engaged in Italian history, literature, and language research to explore them further on our website.

Explore the Featured Volumes

Discover the books reviewed in Annali d’italianistica (Volume 43, 2025) and learn more about their contributions to Italian Studies:

Read more about these titles, view full reviews, or order copies directly from their individual pages on our website.

Page last updated on November 19th 2025. All information correct at the time, but subject to change.