Zucconi's research focuses on transatlantic relations, the international politics of the Balkans, and European relations with the Russia, Turkey and the developing world. He has written four books and numerous chapters and articles. He has taught regularly at the Woodrow Wilson School since 1987, as well as at the University of Urbino, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, University of Maryland, the NATO Defense College, and numerous research institutes in Europe and the US. He has directed projects on Italian-Russian relations, on Euro-Mediterranean relations, and on the Balkans and former Yugoslavia. His research has been funded by the Ford Foundation, the European Union, the Italian Ministry of Defense and other organizations. He writes regularly for policy journals.