The History of Residenza Basiglio

Above, an old black-and-white postcard of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II in Ceva. In the background on the right, a building can be glimpsed. It is Residenza Basiglio.

The Basiglio family was among the most important in the city. Owners of farmhouses, woods, and this large house in the center, the Basiglios left their mark on Ceva's history: Antonio was a respected doctor; his son Stefano designed the Ponte dei Cameroni bridge over the Cevetta stream, taught mathematics, wrote novels, and composed music — he played violin, mandolin, and cello with equal passion; Pietro became a chief surgeon; Mario returned wounded from the Great War with a silver medal for military valor; Teresa, a painter and intellectual, held a salon with the local nobility.

None of the four siblings married. They lived in this house until the end, leaving it to their housekeeper Silvano Giovanna, who had dedicated her whole life to them starting at age fifteen. From her, through inheritance, the building passed to the Gatti family, who chose to bring it back to life through a respectful renovation — keeping intact the character of the piano nobile (main floor) where the Basiglios lived for over a century.

Stefano's instruments have been found and restored. Today their names — violin, mandolin, cello — live on in the residence's three rooms, like a silent echo of those who inhabited these spaces before you.