Rita Auriemma

I am an archaeologist, associate professor at the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Salento; I teach Underwater Archaeology since the academic year 1998-99, Cataloguing Methods and Promotion Strategies for Cultural Heritage in the Digital Humanities degree course, Archaeology of coastal and underwater landscapes within the Specialization School in Archaeology.

I have taught at other universities and in extracurricular courses, I have coordinated and currently coordinate various interdisciplinary projects with national and international scope, such as the recently concluded UnderwaterMuse project within the Italy-Croatia cooperation program.

The guiding principle of my activities is the archaeology of landscapes, especially coastal and underwater, through reflection on geomorphological and paleoclimatic issues, the study of forms and modes of ancient coastal settlement, and the dynamics of interaction between man and the environment. My work aims at the knowledge, protection, and enhancement of water landscapes also through the creation of territorial information systems and participation in the processes of elaboration of Regional Landscape Plans. Many of my activities fall within the scope of public archaeology, a tool for sustainable development of territories, and the University's third mission, such as the design and curation of numerous exhibition setups for museums; I am the scientific director of the Museum of the ancient sea of Nardò.

Between 2015 and 2018, I directed the Regional Institute for Cultural Heritage of Friuli Venezia Giulia (IPAC), which later became ERPAC. In this role, I dedicated myself to extensive heritage education programs (including for children and youth) and training for operators, as well as research, protection, enhancement, and communication of cultural heritage, understood as a "common good," in the spirit of the Faro Convention.