Modern Mathematics in Italy: A Difficult Challenge Between Rooted Tradition and Need for Innovation

In this chapter, we first describe the Italian context when the proposals of reforms, generically indicated under the label of “new math” or “modern mathematics,” were developed all around the world. The current mathematics programs dated to 1945, the main topic was geometry, taught according to a rooted tradition based on Euclid. The conference of Bologna in 1961, which followed those of Royaumont, Aarhus, and Zagreb-Dubrovnik, stimulated the Italian mathematicians to consider also for their country’s reforms in the light of the proposals that emerged at the international level. With the collaboration of the Ministry of Education and under the aegis of OECD, they organized refresher courses on the new approaches suggested by modern mathematics, edited books, and supervised experiments in selected classes. The plan by the Ministry was not efficient; however, this ferment stimulated various meetings for developing new mathematics programs. These programs were never implemented and only a few notions of modern mathematics remained, but new ideas and new contacts began to circulate which slowly changed the Italian context.