Cuneo / Italy
Alpine Town of the Year 2024
Cuneo
Alpine Town of the Year 2024
Facts & Figures
inhabitants
Hectare of river reserve near the town
hectar total area
The provincial capital of Cuneo was founded in 1198 between the rivers Stura and Gesso. The town is situated on the triangular plateau like a “Cuneo”, a wedge. Surrounded by Monte Viso, Argentera, Rocca dell’Abisso and Bisalta, Cuneo is situated in the arc of the south-western Alpine chain. The panorama, the well-kept old town with impressive buildings and the relaxed atmosphere attract numerous guests to the Piedmontese town.
In the area of sustainable development, the Local Agenda 2030 Strategic Plan sets the town’s path and includes key topics such as social inclusion, energy and recycling, soft (commuter) mobility and the protection of biodiversity. With the 5,500-hectare protected area on the Gesso and Stura rivers in the immediate vicinity of the city, Cuneo directly manages a protected natural and wetland area that also serves local recreation. The recently established “Metromontagna” department of the city administration is specifically concerned with the city’s connection to the surrounding countryside and the opportunities and challenges this brings. As another example of a forward-looking policy, the city has created the Ferruccio Parri’ Urban Park based on the sponge city principle. Cuneo carries out many other initiatives, such as international projects on climate change, and is committed to upgrading the “Ferrovia delle Meraviglie” (Railway of Wonders), a historic cross-border link between Cuneo and Nice.
The Jury says…
In the Alpine town of Cuneo, sustainable development, increased awareness of future-oriented issues and close networking of the town with its Alpine valleys are the focus of numerous plans and projects. Although located at the edge of the official perimeter of the Alpine Convention, the city of Cuneo is an Alpine city par excellence. Due to its geographical location and its cultural richness, Cuneo as a city represents a supra-regionally important pole of supply and development for surrounding Alpine valleys or Alpine mountain communities in the south-western Italian Alpine arc - and beyond. On the one hand, it is a city with an exciting geomorphological and cultural past in connection with the Alpine rivers Gesso and Stura, whose riverbeds frame Cuneo today as a Regional Nature Park managed by the city. On the other hand, it is a city that is currently taking numerous initiatives in the technical context of the Alpine Convention protocols.