How do I approach an Italian text?

Read the whole text first, then underline the key words related to it. If there is an exercise section underneath make sure you read all the questions first. Although Italians tend to use a lot of words, just focus the attention on the target language and try to remember that Italian word so that after the practice you can pin it down and then find out other words that are similar to it, in order to increase your vocabulary and grammar in the view of the next text.