Spain, like Italy, has various linguistic minorities, but Spain appears to be considerably more advanced than Italy in language planning initiatives that provide protection to its minority languages. Coluzzi compares language planning and micronationalism among three minority language communities in Italy (Friulian, Cimbrian, and Milanese) with three sociolinguistically similar minority language communities in Spain (Galician, Aranese, and Asturian). Coluzzi presents a convincing argument for how Italy could implement language planning programs similar to those already successful in Spain, and he challenges the notion that such language planning and micronationalism might be a threat to Italian language or to national unity.

After an initial definition of linguistic terms, Coluzzi describes all protections provided to linguistic minorities by Italian, Spanish, and European laws and then compares micronationalism in Italy and Spain. A chapter on language planning (including acquisition planning) is followed by a chapter dedicated to bilingual education, in which Coluzzi not only describes both strong and weak forms of bilingual education but also provides examples from current minority language education in Spain. Coluzzi suggests (a) a content-based model of bilingual education (the minority language is used for the teaching of two or three content areas) for Cimbrian-speaking areas, (b) the creation of mainstream education with a few hours for the study of the local language for Milanese-speaking areas, and (c) a two-way or dual language program for areas in Friuli where Friulian is already widely used.

The final three chapters of the book compare measures that have been taken to protect and revitalize Friulian (as compared to Galician), Cimbrian (as compared to Aranese), and Milanese (as compared to Asturian). At the beginning of these chapters, Coluzzi gives literary examples of each Italian minority language and describes the region, history, and current situation of each language in depth. A brief description of the languages earlier in the book, however, might have been helpful, as anyone unfamiliar with Italian linguistic geography may have difficulty orienting him- or herself in earlier chapters (even if Appendix A provides a simple map that shows where the language areas discussed are located on the Italian peninsula). This book is useful for anyone interested in language planning and revitalization in general or in Italian and Spanish minority languages specifically.