The paper evaluates the internationalization strategies of Italian higher education, focusing on academic partnerships with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The study examines the evolution of countries' approaches to the internationalization of higher education, Italy's use of internationalization tools in Central Asia, including legal basis, support institutions, scholarship programmes, joint degrees, and branches of Italian universities. The findings demonstrate that Italy, although not a dominant force, has become an important emerging partner for the higher education systems of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in recent years.