Doctor, Senator and Mayor

Giuseppe Rovere was born in Briaglia on 24 November 1921, in the province of Cuneo, to Lorenzo and Eleonora Gallo.

He graduated with full marks from the University of Genoa in July 1947 in Medicine and Surgery, and then specialised in General Surgery and later in Anaesthesiology.
From 1 August 1947 until 30 November 1986, when he ceased working for health reasons, he worked at the Sanremo Civil Hospital.

At first assistant surgeon to Professor Turco, then assistant surgeon to Professor Giannoni, Giuseppe Rovere is to be considered as the "inventor" of the anaesthesiology service in Sanremo.
On 3 June 1964 he was appointed head of the anaesthesia and resuscitation service and later, following a national public competition, he was appointed head of the anaesthesia service of the resuscitation and analgesic therapy centre of the civil hospital of Sanremo.

Generations of Sanremo have benefited from his science and professionalism. He has also carried out an important didactic activity with his collaborators and has been author of numerous scientific publications.

He also carried out an intense public activity in the ranks of the Italian Liberal Party: he was town councillor, provincial councillor of Imperia for two legislatures, senator of the Republic in the fourth legislature from 1964 to 1968, regional councillor of the first legislature and mayor of Sanremo from 1975 to 1976.

During his political career, in addition to his care and health care, he also had at heart the problems of particular interest for the Riviera, especially the systems to obtain efficient communication networks for a relaunch of tourism and for the improvement of hotel facilities.
As a member of the Senate's Agriculture Committee he carried out an intense activity in defence of our territory from the point of view of olive growing and above all floriculture. During his term of office as mayor, he set up a new provincial public transport company, the SPT, which was later transformed into the current RT.

He played a key role in moving upstream and doubling the railway. Thanks to his active collaboration with the Liberal exponent Aldo Bozzi, former Minister of Transport in the second Andreotti government, a friend and colleague of Rovere's, he succeeded, through an agreement signed by him, Bozzi and Ferrovie dello Stato, in including in the national railway restructuring plan the relocation of the Ospedaletti San Lorenzo al Mare section upstream, also setting up a special fund of 1 billion a year for 10 years from the casino's anti-repartmental fund within the municipal budget.

He was awarded the honour of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

He died in Briaglia on 24 September 1998 and was buried in the family chapel of his home town.

(source : Marco Mauro)