VLORA 1920. THE LAST DEFENCE by Vincenzo Gaglione presents itself as a sharp and rigorous historical-documentary investigation into one of the most complex chapters of Italy’s first post-war period: the Albanian crisis and the strenuous resistance of the Italian troops stationed in the Vlora sector.
The work masterfully analyses a two-year period marked by deep geopolitical fractures, institutional instability and internal unrest, during which the Armed Forces found themselves operating in a climate of logistical isolation and strong demagogy. From the perspective of communication sciences and institutional analysis, the essay offers a focus of extraordinary interest: the author decodes the complex media narrative of the time, highlighting how the covert action of rival powers and the dynamics of political parties polarised public opinion, fragmented the sense of national solidarity and influenced the very perception of the armed institutions. Through a fluid narrative, yet scientifically grounded in sources, the volume restores centrality to the “human factor” and to the management of leadership under crisis conditions, embodied by the action of Lieutenant Colonel Giovanni Messe on the heights of Mai-e-Sturos.
Published by Herald Editore, the volume represents a significant multidisciplinary contribution that combines military historiography with institutional psychology and strategic communication, offering the university’s students and researchers a valuable interpretative key to understanding how communication flows and political contexts influence operational mechanisms in the field.
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