The AS Roma midfielder, a 2006 World Cup winner, served a three-match Serie A ban in May for elbowing an opponent, and Italy coach Cesare Prandelli also punished him by leaving him out of the squads that beat Estonia and lost to Ireland in June.
Reserve goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis, never picked before by Prandelli having previously been a squad regular, also comes back in from the cold because of an injury to Emiliano Viviano.
Two Serie B players, Angelo Ogbonna of Torino and Angelo Palombo of Sampdoria, are included for the match in Bari next Wednesday, with Prandelli having to name his squad before the start of the Italian season.
Strikers Alberto Gilardino, Alessandro Matri and Marco Borriello are notable absentees for Italy, who top Euro 2012 qualifying Group C and travel to the Faroe Islands next month before hosting Slovenia.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint-Germain)
Defenders: Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Mattia Cassani (Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Zenit St. Petersburg), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino), Andrea Ranocchia (Inter Milan)
Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani (Liverpool), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Inter), Antonio Nocerino (Palermo), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)
Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Antonio Cassano (Milan), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma), Giampaolo Pazzini (Inter), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal)
