“From the Adriatic to the Mediterranean: Italy in the Allied naval strategy, 1915-1918”

The First World War in the Mediterranean was a largely frustrating experience for the Allies. Their strategic and political differences hindered mutual cooperation. In this context, the Italian role has been badly overlooked by non-Italian historians. Italian historians, on their part, essentially focused on the Adriatic campaign, largely ignoring Italy’s war outside the Adriatic, as well as the Allied contribution to it. I aim to offer a fresh perspective of the war in the Mediterranean by looking at Italy’s role in the Allied naval strategy with a comparative approach, using new material made available by the Italian Navy Archive.