The contribution intends to illustrate Lombardo Radice's ties with idealism and specifically with the Gentile heritage, starting from the reflection on didactics carried out by the Sicilian educationist. In this way, the 1923 reform isn't a simple legislative update, but takes on the dimension of a broader educational project and at the same time certifies a considerable depth of thought. The reform becomes the application of a peculiar Italian way to New Education, of which Lombardo Radice is specifically the author. This Italian way to New Education, while dialoguing with international suggestions, draws its roots from a different terrain, the one that goes from Vico to Croce and Gentile. The analysis of the Lombardo Radice's didactics in this view allows us to understand similarities and differences between the Italian way to New Education and the international movement, shedding more light on the figure of Lombardo Radice as one of Italy's leading educational theorists.