This book, which if my translation and interpretation is correct, is published by the Historical Bureau of the Italian Navy (Uffico Storico della Marina Militare). It is a large format book 11"x 9.5" and is hard cover. The book has 435 pages and the pages containing the plan and profiles fold out to nearly 30" wide. Not being an Italian scholar, it is difficult for me to comment on the written content of the book but suffice to say it was written by a very well known authority on the Italian Navy. The book was written by Franco Bargoni and this is a new edition edited by Franco Gay and published in 1996. The translation of 'esploratore' is gunboat. This book covers a variety of types of ship all classed as 'esploratori' which range from the ex German cruisers Taranto (ex Strassburg) and Bari (ex Pillau) to the Navigatori Class destroyers.
In the introduction to the book the author traces the development of the Scouts and Light Cruisers in the navies of Britain, Russia Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary and Italy. The introduction is illustrated with small black and white photos of HMS's Sentinel, Pathfinder, Bellona and Blanche; SMS's Dresden, Leipzig, Nurnberg and Koenigsberg; the Russian Novik; Austro-Hungarian Admiral Spaun and Helgoland: and the Italian Quarto, Nino Bixio and Lanzerotto Malocello of the Navigatori Class.

Chapter 1 - is devoted to the Light Cruisers Libia, Bari (ex Pillau), Ancona (ex Graudenz) and Taranto (ex Strassburg). There are photos, descriptions, the principal characteristics and a profile drawing of each ship.
Chapter 2 - covers in great detail the scout cruiser Quarto with photos, description 1:200 scale plan, longitudinal section, cross sections and colour profile.
Chapter 3 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the Nino Bixio Class.
Chapter 4 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the Alessandro Poerio Class.
Chapter 5 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the Carlo Mirabello Class.
Chapter 6 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the Aquila Class.
Chapter 7 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the ex German destroyer Premuda (ex V.116).
Chapter 8 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the ex Austro-Hungarian Venezia Class (ex Saida and Helgoland). Chapter 9 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the ex German destroyer Cesare Rossarol (ex B.97).
Chapter 10 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the Leone Class.
Chapter 11 - detailed coverage as in Chapter 2 of the Navigatori Class.

The book is profusely illustrated with black and white photographs of interiors, exteriors, colours and camouflage. There is even a photo of one of the Poerio Class sporting an experimental camouflage scheme at the end of WWI. There are large numbers of drawings of varying scales of the ships up to 1:100 scale. Each class has at least one 1:200 scale plan and profile. There are also cross sections, longitudinal sections, details, armament drawings and some hull lines. There are 1:200 colour profiles or plans and profiles of Quarto, Marsala, Guglielmo Pepe (1918 & 1938), Carlo Mirabello, Augusto Riboty, Aquila, Falco, Premuda (1921 & 1932), Venezia, Cesare Rossarol, Tigre, Luca Tarigo, Leone Pancaldo and Nicoloso da Recco.

This is a beautiful book and is an excellent reference work for modelling. The book cost about 32 Euro which I thought very reasonable. However the postage by Air from Italy to Canada was 38 Euro because the book weighed over 2 kilos. For me it was still well worth the price.