Problems of foreign language textbook writing have drawn considerable attention of scholars in Russia and other countries. The textbook is an important element of the process of teaching a foreign language, being a basic teaching tool, created on the basis of the fusion of methodological and linguistic knowledge. Linguistic research determines the general principles of teaching a native language or teaching a particular foreign language, defining the general features of this language that also affect its assimilation. Through linguistic analysis and research in applied linguistics, the main principles of compiling textbooks on a foreign language are highlighted. Considering education as a sociocultural phenomenon on the one hand and as a psychological process on the other, we also note the importance of taking into account psycholinguistic (selection of materials taking into account the peculiarities of memory and mentality), pedagogical and didactic (correlating the studied material with other disciplines), methodological (selection of teaching methods) , as well as sociolinguistic and sociocultural data in the preparation of a modern textbook on foreign languages. This article examines the analysis of modern textbooks on the Italian language from the point of view of linguistic science. The study presents and analyzes the phenomena of metalinguistic reflection and linguistic input, using the example of educational tasks from the most popular textbooks of the Italian language in Russia for adult students. The study examined the classification of linguistic criteria for the selection of educational texts in accordance with the norms of the modern Italian language, as well as the communication strategies and tactics used by their authors. The prerequisites for further research in the field of written educational discourse are highlighted.