Lucia Ceci, *The Vatican and Mussolini's Italy*. Peter Spring, trans. Leiden: Brill, 2017.

Lucia Ceci delves into the complex dynamics between the Catholic Church and Fascism. New insights from the Vatican Archives shed light on specific elements of this intricate relationship: Mussolini's ascent to power, the Ethiopian war, the racial legislation, and the distinctions between Pius XI and Pius XII. This book presents a detailed reconstruction of this encounter, clarifying the reasons that led Catholics to support a dictatorial, aggressive, and racist regime. In contrast to conventional historical divisions, the account begins with Mussolini's early years in the late nineteenth century and culminates with the swift collapse of his puppet regime in 1945. This perspective somewhat alters the perception of the exceptional nature of the ventennio.