ARO – Annali.Recensioni.Online is an online journal of historical bibliographic reviews. It adopts a cross-period, interdisciplinary, and international approach. The journal not only disseminates the results of academic historical research, promoting a wide scholarly debate between Italian-and German-speaking cultures―with particular attention to the most recent developments in European historiography―, but also extends the fruition of its content to a non-specialist public. It favors a broader circulation of ideas and themes, making research in historical sciences available to all interested parties, free of charge and without access limits.

Beginning with the 2010/2011 issue of the print journal Annali dell’Istituto Storico Italo-Germanico/Jahrbuch des italienisch-deutschen historischen Instituts—published by Il Mulino press (1975–2025) and by Viella Editrice (since 2026)—a dedicated book review section was established. In 2018, this column evolved into ARO, an autonomous electronic journal that gathers and enhances the previous experience of the Annali. The book reviews published in the print edition of the Journal between 2010 and 2018 are now also accessible in the Archive section of the ARO platform (http://aro-igis.fbk.eu/issues).

The scholarly identity of ARO draws upon the cultural and intellectual climate of the Italian-German Historical Institute in Trento, founded in 1973 by Paolo Prodi under the mandate of Bruno Kessler—the latter having served as President of the Autonomous Province of Trento from 1960 to 1973.

The role of the Institute’s first director was entrusted to Paolo Prodi himself, an Italian historian who bestowed upon the Institute the international vocation that still distinguishes it today, fostering a rich tradition of scientific and cultural exchange between the Italian- and German-speaking worlds. The Institute has played a decisive role in the development of highly influential historiographical strands, such as legal-constitutional history, the history of confessionalization and social discipline, and the history of devotion and the sacred. Today, the Institute’s researchers develop projects within the fields of political, religious, social, cultural, legal, and economic history across the early modern and contemporary periods. Particular attention is dedicated to themes of great relevance to contemporary society, examined from a historical perspective (environment, mobility, and media), as well as to new languages for the dissemination of historiographical content (Public History and Digital History).

The Institute also hosts intensive conference activities, in particular the annual Study Weeks (Settimane di Studio), which are dedicated to pivotal nodes in contemporary historiographical debate. Furthermore, there is a growing number of permanent seminars. such as the Tavola ovale di Storia moderna, Storie in costruzione, and AI and History (https://isig.fbk.eu/it/ricerca/). In addition to engaging scholars and researchers, these initiatives seek to open up historical research to a heterogeneous audience.

ARO is a fully online journal that publishes two issues per year (March and September). Each issue is organized into five sections. The Editorial is authored by the Journal’s Director, Katia Occhi. The Forum section analyzes either key historiographical themes or topics of particular relevance to the Institute’s research strands, through reviews of volumes centered on a common subject. The final three sections comprise reviews dedicated, respectively, to Early Modern History, Contemporary History, and works covering cross-epochal themes.

Each issue includes approximately 25 reviews, providing a detailed overview of recently published scholarship. Reviews are published in the author’s language of choice: Italian, German, or English. Since its inception in 2018, ARO has featured more than 700 reviews.

By utilizing a digital platform and offering user-friendly tools, the Journal has reached readers beyond a narrow circle of specialists, evincing a significant growth not only in its total number of users but also in attracting readers of diverse ages and geographical origins. During the 2022–2024 triennium, the platform was visited by 28,308 users, spanning six European countries, North America, Russia, and China, in addition to Italy.

In the 2015–2019 Research Quality Evaluation (VQR), promoted by the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System (ANVUR), ARO’s robust link to research outcomes was emphasized. Its scientific impact was rated as ‘decisive’ (‘determinante’), achieving a score of 9/10.

The digital format allows for significantly reduced publication times, favoring the rapid circulation of new scholarly works. To ensure optimum usability, ARO’s digital platform enables users to download both full issues and individual reviews in PDF format, via both computer and smartphone.

ISSN: 2612-2863

Publisher: FBK Press, Trento

Open Access: ARO is an open access publication and wants to ensure the widest possible dissemination of academic writing in history as endorsed by the scientific community.

Publication Dates: ARO appears two times a year: 31.03 (no. 1) and 30.09 (no. 2).

Peer Review: all reviews published in ARO are assessed by the editorial boards and an external reader drawn from a pool of international referees.