Good Morning Italy has published an interview with Avv. Salvatore Aprigliano, founder of Aprigliano International Law Firm, on the transformation of Italian citizenship by descent, the future of international legal counsel, and the philosophy guiding the Milan-based firm. From the impact of the Tajani Decree to the referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union, from artificial intelligence in legal practice to the irreplaceable value of human strategy: Good Morning Italy Aprigliano Italian citizenship by descent is today at the center of an unprecedented legal debate.

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Is Italian citizenship by descent still available after the 2025 reform?

Many have read Constitutional Court Decision No. 63/2026 as the definitive word on the matter. Avv. Aprigliano, in the Good Morning Italy interview, offers a more articulated reading: “A rule never exists in isolation. If being a lawyer simply meant reading one statute and applying it literally, lawyers would probably be much less necessary.”

The 2025 citizenship reform dramatically changed the rules for citizenship by descent, applying new restrictions even to people who had already been born when the law came into force. That retroactive effect is at the center of the current legal debate, and is precisely the point on which Aprigliano International Law Firm maintained its position, even when the Constitutional Court, in Decision No. 63, had declined to refer the European question to the Court of Justice.

A few months later, with Order No. 147/2026, the same Court took a different procedural path: it suspended the case and referred a question to the Court of Justice of the European Union, asking whether Articles 9 TEU and 20 TFEU preclude a national rule that bars, from the outset, the acquisition of Italian citizenship by people born abroad before that rule existed. As Avv. Aprigliano explains in the Good Morning Italy interview, that is a meaningful shift on the European question in the space of a few months.

Three themes at the heart of the interview

1. “Standardize the process, not the client”: technology and bespoke legal counsel

   Aprigliano International Law Firm describes itself as an innovative legal boutique. In the Good Morning Italy interview, Avv. Aprigliano explains how technology and bespoke service are not opposites: “A tailor can use a sewing machine instead of stitching every piece by hand. The suit is still bespoke if it was designed, cut and made for that particular person.”

   The same logic applies to legal practice. Technology makes organizational and documentary tasks faster and more reliable. Legal strategy, case analysis, and the client relationship remain irreducibly human. The firm’s philosophy is simple: standardize the process, not the client. Technology should make the work more efficient; the legal strategy should remain personal.

2. Artificial intelligence and legal reasoning: where the machine ends and the lawyer begins
   

   On artificial intelligence in the legal field, Avv. Aprigliano draws a precise boundary: “AI can help me find statutes, cases, precedents and information much faster. But it cannot decide for me which pieces actually matter, how they should be connected, or what legal strategy should be built from them. That remains the lawyer’s job.”

   When the task is building a genuinely new legal argument, as is the case today with the citizenship reform, artificial intelligence is a tool for accessing information, not a substitute for legal reasoning. The lawyer must select, interpret, connect, and take responsibility for the argument being made.

3. Legal time and real life: the story of the American couple
   

   In the interview, Avv. Aprigliano recalls one of the cases that has stayed with him most clearly: an American retired couple who had decided to move to Italy before their citizenship judgment was issued. A three-month court postponement, which ultimately became six, had turned what seemed like a procedural detail into a concrete immigration and residency problem. “A three-month postponement may look like a procedural detail on a court calendar. But for the people involved, it can affect where they are allowed to live, whether they can establish residence, and whether the life they have already begun building can continue as planned.” The case concluded with recognition of Italian citizenship: today that couple lives in Italy as Italian citizens.

 

Avv. Aprigliano’s conclusion: keep learning, look beyond the obvious

Asked to sum up the philosophy guiding the firm in a single motto, Avv. Aprigliano identifies three principles: “Keep learning. Look beyond the obvious. Understand the person before you decide.”

A philosophy that is reflected in the firm’s approach to the Tajani Decree: while many read Decision No. 63/2026 as a definitive closure, the firm kept the EU-law argument at the center of its filings. Order No. 147/2026 confirmed that reading was correct. The question is now before the Court of Justice of the European Union, which will have the final word on EU law in matters of citizenship by descent.

For Aprigliano International Law Firm, which has assisted Italian descendants primarily in the United States, Canada, and Australia for over twenty years, the priority remains assessing each case individually, never applying generic solutions to specific situations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Good Morning Italy report about Avv. Aprigliano?

Good Morning Italy published an interview with Avv. Salvatore Aprigliano on Italian citizenship by descent, the Tajani reform, the EU-law dimension of the current litigation, and the philosophy behind Aprigliano International Law Firm’s approach to legal counsel.

What does “standardize the process, not the client” mean?

It is the philosophy with which Aprigliano International Law Firm combines technology and personalized counsel. Organizational and documentary tasks are optimized through technology; legal strategy and the client relationship are never standardized.

Can AI replace a lawyer in Italian citizenship by descent cases?

According to Avv. Aprigliano, no. AI accelerates access to information but cannot build new legal arguments, select the relevant elements, or take responsibility for the strategy. That remains the lawyer’s task, especially in a field evolving as rapidly as Italian citizenship by descent after the 2025 reform.

What is Order No. 147/2026 and why does it matter?

Order No. 147/2026 of the Constitutional Court suspended three proceedings on the citizenship reform and referred a question to the Court of Justice of the European Union, asking whether EU law precludes the retroactive application of the new restrictions. The CJEU’s answer will be binding on all Italian courts.

Is there still a path to Italian citizenship by descent after the Tajani Decree?

Yes, but eligibility depends on the specific facts, generation, and documentation of each case. The EU-law route, currently before the Court of Justice of the EU, remains one of the most significant open grounds. A case-specific assessment is always the necessary first step.

What does Aprigliano International Law Firm do for Italian citizenship applicants?

The firm has assisted over 6,000 clients and handled more than 2,000 cases, primarily for Italian descendants in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Its approach is to assess each applicant’s specific circumstances individually, identifying which legal path remains viable after the 2025 reform.

Request a Case Review

If you are a descendant of an Italian-born ancestor and want to understand whether Italian citizenship by descent is still available for your situation after the Tajani Decree, a case-specific review is the first step.