Role
Associate Professor of Geography at DISSTE (Department for Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition) of the University of Eastern Piedmont
Bio
Stefania Cerruti, a graduate in Economics and Business and a PhD in Development Policies and Land Management, has been an Associate Professor of Political and Economic Geography at the University of Eastern Piedmont since 2018. Within the university, she serves as Quality Manager for the Third Mission Department and, as scientific director, leads research groups and competitive projects. Since 2020, she has also directed the Upontourism Study Center, which focuses on research and innovation in sustainable tourism. Qualified as a Full Professor in 2023, she coordinates strategic initiatives in the fields of local development and regional development.
Her research has focused on tourism and local development processes, with a particular focus on the dynamics of rural and marginalized areas and the analysis of innovative forms of territorial governance. She has explored the role of cultural tourism itineraries, tangible and intangible heritage, and participatory planning, contributing to numerous studies on villages and inland areas. She has also conducted research on religious tourism, garden tourism, and the valorization of cultural landscapes.
She has been the scientific director of award-winning projects at European level, including the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2019 in the Education, Training and Awareness-raising category, the European Heritage Days Stories recognition in 2020 and the inclusion in the Catalogue of Good Practices of Cultural Heritage in Action (2020–2021).