Aldo S. Bernardo was the author, editor or translator of a dozen books, including Petrarch, Scipio and the Africa: The Birth of Humanism’s Dream (1962); Petrarch, Laura, and the Triumphs (1974); The Early Renaissance (1979) and Francesco Petrarca: Citizen of the World (1980), as well as dozens of scholarly articles, essays and reviews. He was the translator of Francesco Petrarch, Letters on Familiar Matters (Rerum familiarium libri) (1975-1985, Italica Press, 2005).

Reta A. Bernardo collaborated with Aldo S. Bernardo on several titles. With him and Saul Levin she was co-translator of Francesco Petrarch, Letters of Old Age (Rerum senilium libri) (1992, Italica Press, 2005). With Aldo S. Bernardo she is co-translator of Pseudo-Petrarch, The Lives of the Popes and Emperors (New York: Italica Press, 2015) as well as A Concordance to the Familiares of Francesco Petrarca (Rome: Antenore, 1994).

Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Italian and Comparative Literature, State University of New York at Binghamton until his death in November 2011, Aldo S. Bernardo served as the chair of the state-wide SUNY faculty Senate, chair of the Division of Humanities and the founder and director of the Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies. Aldo S. Bernardo also served on the editorial and executive committees of numerous scholarly journals and societies. Professor Bernardo was the recipient of the Order of Merit from the government of Italy, of American Council of Learned Societies, Guggenheim and Fulbright awards and of various research grants.

The Bernardos established the Aldo and Reta Bernardo Fund in 1990. It supports an annual lecture in medieval literature, courses in medieval languages and literature and an Excellence Award for graduating seniors majoring in Medieval or Early Modern Studies.