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Carlotta COSTANZO

PhD Student
PhD in Sciences for Cultural Heritage and Production - XXXIX cycle
Tutor: Salvatore CANNIZZARO
Contacts

Email: carlotta.costanzo@phd.unict.it

VERSIONE ITALIANAAREA RISERVATA

PhD student in “Sciences for Heritage and Cultural Production” at the University of Catania, Department of Humanities, she is presenting a research project titled “European Cultural Routes in Sicily. A development model”, focusing on European processes for territorial enhancement. Her research interest in a politically cohesive Europe has driven her to investigate new and modern tools to strengthen common European values, promote respect for diversity in European societies, and increase the sense of belonging to the Union.

She is a member of the editorial board for the Natura, Cultura e Territorio (Nature, Culture, and Territory) book series published by Pontecorboli Editore. She is also a member of the Società di Studi Geografici (Society for Geographical Studies) and the Associazione dei Geografi Italiani (Association of Italian Geographers - A.Ge.I.).

In May 2026, she was appointed as a lecturer for the educational seminar titled “Culture and territorial development: active geographical laboratory to read, narrate and regenerate places”, delivering a lecture titled “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in Sicily”.

Since October 2024, she has held a permanent position as an administrative officer at the University of Catania, Department of Humanities, where she manages Tenders and Procurement, and serves as the department’s administrative liaison for Third-Party Agreements.

From May 2021 to July 2023, she worked as an officer at the International Relations Unit of the University of Catania, where she managed incoming and outgoing students for the Erasmus+ KA107 project, handled Erasmus+ KA131 financial management, and coordinated the university’s project EUNICE - European University for Customized Education.

Previously, she worked as:

  • An English language examiner at the “ESAT - Educational Services and Testing” institute;

  • A Copywriter for the local newspaper “Sicilia Network”, where she created and managed the international politics column titled Beyond The Borders;

  • A teaching and online tutor at “Studium s.r.l. a socio unico”.

In September 2024, she attended the A.Ge.I. Advanced Training School in Trento (8–11/09/2024), titled “New Frontiers of Political Geography”.

From 20 October to 20 December 2023, she attended a workshop titled “Promotion of cultural heritage for the revitalization of inland areas”, organized by the Department of Humanities as part of the educational seminars offered for the academic year 2023/2024.

In February-March 2025, she completed a 17-hour e-learning course promoted by the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France, within the framework of the EUNICE Interuniversity Consortium, titled “Tourism Economics”.

In February 2021, she completed an Advanced Training Course titled “Inter-University Winter School on EU Policy Making”, organized by the Institute for European Studies – Diplomatische Akademie Wien.

She holds a Master’s degree in Global Politics and Euro-Mediterranean Relations (academic year 2019/2020 – DSPS Unict), defending an EU Public Policies thesis titled "European Federalism after the Lisbon Treaty: a future scenario", which investigated the structure of the EU through methods and principles of comparative politics to outline a future scenario on the evolution of the European political framework.

In the academic year 2017/2018, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sciences and Languages for Communication (DISUM – Unict), during which she participated in the Erasmus+ Study Programme at the Universidad de Sevilla. She concluded her studies with a final thesis in Theory of Language titled "Democracy and Lies", focusing on the role of language in modern democracies.

She has proficiency in the following foreign languages:

  • English: C2 level (Aim Qualification certification and C2 certification from CLA – University Language Centre);

  • Spanish: B1 level (Instituto Cervantes certification) and B2 level (university exam);

  • French: B1 level (university exam and CLA – University Language Centre certification);

  • Arabic: Basic level (university exams).

From November 2016 to October 2020, she served as a Student Representative across several bodies and committees (Internationalization Committee, Board of Directors, Student Council, Departmental Joint Teaching-Staff Student Committee - CPDS, Department Board, Degree Course Board). Furthermore, in the academic years 2023–2025, she held the role of PhD student representative on the CPDS.

Project Title: "European Cultural Routes in Sicily. A development model".

The research is part of the broader debate on European cultural policies and, specifically, on the instruments through which institutions pursue cultural integration and economic development goals within Member States. In this context, the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe stand out as a particularly compelling object of study. They are specifically geared toward the regeneration of peripheral areas, serving simultaneously as mechanisms for cultural diplomacy and for cultural and creative tourism. With the launch of the Cultural Routes Programme in 1987, the cultural objective of European institutional bodies was formalized: to transform shared historical, artistic, and social heritage into a vehicle for collective memory and unification. This is achieved by turning ancient pilgrimage or trade routes into modern transnational networks capable of boosting local economies. Sicily was chosen as the case study because it presents a structural paradox widely documented in literature: it possesses one of the richest cultural heritages in the Mediterranean, yet this does not translate into widespread territorial development.

Research Focus:

  • European, national, and regional legislation on cultural routes

  • European funding in the field of culture, with a specific focus on cultural routes

  • Mapping tools for geographic data management

Participation in International Conferences and Seminars

  • 13th Edition of the Study Day "BEYOND GLOBALIZATION – Sud/South" Organized by the Società di Studi Geografici, University of Messina, 1 December 2023 – Speaker. Papers presented: "Cultural routes and economic development" & "Overtourism and mitigation policies: the ecomuseum".

  • 21st Conference of the International Movement for a New Museology (MINOM), "Rethinking museology in a transformative key. Trans-disciplinary alliances for more just societies", Catania, 22–23 February 2024, Benedictine Monastery of Catania – Attendee.

  • SPPC CHAIN 2024 PhD Conference – "Cultural Heritage Routes, Safeguarding, Participation, Sustainable Development", University of Catania, 27–29 February 2024, Benedictine Monastery of Catania – Speaker. Poster paper presented: "Best practices of cultural instruments for heritage enhancement. Ecomuseums and Routes".

  • 12th Mediterranean Interdisciplinary Forum on Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Education, University of Catania, 8–9 May 2024 – Speaker. Paper presented: "Toward intercultural dialogue: the Phoenicians’ Route between Italy and Spain".

  • Conference: "First report on roots tourism in Italy. From migratory flows to tourist flows: destination marketing strategies to 'recall' global Italian communities back home", organized by the Training Agency "Flowmove Management for Tourism", 17 May 2024, Giardini Naxos (ME) – Attendee.

  • A.Ge.I. Conference (Working Groups: "Ecomuseums, nature and culture" & "Territorial reorganization and local development"), titled "Cultural Heritage, ecomuseums and territorial development", 11–13 October 2024, Department of Humanities – University of Catania – Secretary of the Organizing Committee and Speaker. Paper presented: "The sulfur tradition of Catania as an added value for the sulfur cultural routes in central-eastern Sicily".

  • 13th Mediterranean Interdisciplinary Forum on Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Education, University of Catania, 12–15 May 2025 – Speaker. Paper presented: "Toward Harmonized Governance. Enhancing transnational management of industrial Cultural Routes in Sicily and Castilla y León".

  • 6th Edition of the Interdisciplinary Study Days "GEOGRAPHY AND TOURISM", organized by the Società di Studi Geografici, University of Messina, Noto (SR), 12–13 June 2025 – Speaker. Paper presented: "Film-induced tourism and cultural routes as a strategic lever for territorial enhancement".

  • International Seminar "THE HYGEIA LEGACY – 3rd Edition: The Heritage of Medicinal Plants and Sustainable Rural Entrepreneurship for Young Europeans", organized by the AROMAS Itinerarium Salutis Association – Cultural Route of the Council of Europe "Historic Pharmacies and Medicinal Gardens" (Online format), 17–18 November 2025 – Speaker. Contribution presented: "Mapping the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in Sicily: analytical tools and perspectives for territorial development".

  • SPPC CHAIN 2025 PhD Conference – "Landscape and ecology of Culture. Between Humanity and Nature", 26–29 November 2025 – Speaker. Paper presented: "The Phoenician Landscape between Italy and Spain: a model of intercultural dialogue".

  • Study Day "From peripherization to idealized communities. Identification, construction and enhancement of local communities through ecomuseums", Rome, 17 April 2026, Niccolò Cusano University – Speaker. Paper presented: "Between memory and landscape. Proposal for an ecomuseum of the Centuripe sulfur mines".

  • Study Day dedicated to the archaeology and ancient history of Centuripe, organized by the SiciliAntica Centuripe Association, 15 May 2026, Archaeological Museum of Centuripe – Speaker. Paper presented: "The case of the sulfur mines of Centuripe: between landscape and historical memory".

  • 7th Edition of the Interdisciplinary Study Days "GEOGRAPHY AND MIGRATIONS", organized by the Società di Studi Geografici (Online format), Naples, 11–12 June 2026, University of Naples L'Orientale – Speaker. Paper presented: "The path of the Yellow Island: from classical mythology to the Grand Tour, a thematic route on the island of Vulcano to overcome geographical marginality".

Costanzo C., Milán Fonseca P.P. (in press), “The Phoenician Landscape between Italy and Spain: a model of intercultural dialogue”, in CHAIN 2025 – Landscape and ecology of Culture. Between Humanity and Nature.

Costanzo C., Raimondi G. (in press), “Tra memoria e paesaggio. Proposta di un ecomuseo dello zolfare di Centuripe” [Between memory and landscape. Proposal for an ecomuseum of the Centuripe sulfur mines], Edizioni Edicusano, Rome.

Costanzo C., Dimartino G. (in press), “Il Film-induced tourism e gli itinerari culturali come leva strategica per la valorizzazione territoriale” [Film-induced tourism and cultural routes as a strategic lever for territorial enhancement], Geografia e Turismo, Società di Studi Geografici. Memorie geografiche.

Costanzo C., Noto A. (2025), "Toward Harmonised Governance of Cultural Routes: Sicilian Industrial Heritage Conservation Without Valorisation", European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 21 (43), pp. 17-32. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2025.v21n43p17

Cannizzaro S., Costanzo C. (2025), "La tradizione zolfifera di Catania come valore aggiunto per gli itinerari culturali dello zolfo nella Sicilia centro-orientale" [The sulfur tradition of Catania as an added value for the sulfur cultural routes in central-eastern Sicily], in S. Cannizzaro (ed.), Beni culturali, ecomusei e sviluppo territoriale, Collana Atlante. Natura, Cultura, Territorio, pp. 171-182, Pontecorboli editore, Florence.

Costanzo C. (2025), "Best practices of cultural instruments for heritage enhancement. Ecomuseums and Routes", in A. Bertino, D. Cannavò, S. Portale, G. Sanfratello, M. Y. Spironello and C. Torre (eds.), CHAIN 2024. Safeguarding, Participation, Sustainable Development, Duetredue Edizioni, Carlentini, pp. 205-211. ISBN: 978-88-99573-73-7

Cavallaro M., Costanzo C. (2024), “Itinerari Culturali e Sviluppo Economico” [Cultural Routes and Economic Development], in G. Messina, E. Nicosia, C.M. Porto (eds.), Oltre la globalizzazione – Sud/South, Società di Studi Geografici. Memorie geografiche NS 26, pp. 697-702. ISBN: 978-88-94690163.

Cavallaro M., Costanzo C., Emanuele L. (2024), “Overtourism e Politiche di Mitigazione: L’ecomuseo” [Overtourism and Mitigation Policies: The ecomuseum], in G. Messina, E. Nicosia, C.M. Porto (eds.), Oltre la globalizzazione – Sud/South, Società di Studi Geografici, Memorie geografiche NS 26, pp. 575-581, ISBN: 978-88-94690163.

Costanzo C., Gravina G. (2022), "Romanian Migration. The Italy Syndrome and the Other Side of the Coin", European Review of Applied Sociology, 15 (24), pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.2478/eras-2022-0001.