Paolo Zanetti has taken over as Empoli manager, the Serie A club announced on Monday after former coach Aurelio Andreazzoli left last week.
In a statement, Empoli said that former Venezia coach Zanetti had signed a two-year deal with an option for a third season.
Zanetti, 39, was sacked by Venezia in April as part of a failed bid for Serie A safety.
He was replaced by youth team coach Andrea Soncin, who failed to keep the Lagoon side up at the end of their first top-flight season in two decades.
Andreazzoli left Empoli at the start of the month, having taken the Tuscan outfit to a creditable 14th after also being promoted from Serie B the previous campaign.