Building contractor
Giovenale Gastaldi was born in the province of Biella on 4 October 1831.
Following the engineer Camuso of Turin, he worked at the Convent of the Nicolites to transform it into the Mauritian Hospital to receive the sick. He then carried out administration activities in the same hospital.
He was town councillor and councillor for public works and in his mandate he had Via Roma built.
He then left the administrative activity and carried out numerous projects and constructions for Sanremo.
We remember the reduction of the Santa Tecla fort to a prison, the restoration of Palazzo Roverizio, the construction of Villa Rambaldi (today Villa Ormond), Villa Dufour (today Villa Magnolie), Casa Bobone, Villa Berigo, Villa Bonmoschetto, the building in Via del Castillo which was formerly the police headquarters, the villa Emily by Edward Lear, the Villa Speranza, the hotel des Etrangers, the church of All Saints, the house of the Asquasciati brothers in front of the Casino, the small villa Gastaldi, Villa Giulia and Villa Brizio, Villa Meglia, the convent of the Capuchin Fathers. ... and many others.
He also built the Villa Hambury at Mortola, the Maraldi Castle at Perinaldo and the Bicknell Museum at Bordighera.
He was certainly a man who left a mark.
He died in Sanremo on 17th February 1887.
(various sources)