The 34-year-old had been held without charge since being arrested on April 9 and went on a hunger strike on April 18 to protest his detention.
Del Grande, also a blogger and documentary filmmaker specialising in migrant issues, was greeted by Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano at the Bologna airport.
The reporter stressed that though he had not suffered any physical violence, the deprivation of his freedom was the real issue.
"I have been the victim of institutional violence,” he said.
"I believe what happened to me was illegal; I was deprived of freedom because of my work as a journalist in a country with which Italy has friendly diplomatic relations."
Del Grande was travelling in Turkey to research a book about the war in Syria and the establishment of ISIS when he was arrested by plainclothes officers on the Syrian border and transferred to a migrant centre in Mugla.
His detention caused friction between Italy and Turkey, while the EU expressed its support for Italy’s bid to have the journalist released.
Hundreds of Italians across the nation marched for Del Grande’s freedom, while a petition demanding his release gathered more than 55,000 signatures.
