Childhood

Abstract

Cuneo, capital city of the province to which it gives its name, is located in northeastern Italy, halfway between the industrial center of Turin to the north and the city-state of Monaco on the Mediterranean coast to the south. On the east side of Cuneo flows the stream called ‘Torrente Gesso’ and on the west flows the Stura River. Their confluence forms the ‘wedge’ (cuneo in Italian) that gives the city its name. Across the Torrente Gesso, about three miles from Cuneo, is the crossroads village of Spinetta, and nearby is the farmhouse called ‘Tetto Galant’, where Giuseppe Peano was born on 27 August, 1858. The name is typical of the region, if more elegant than others, such as ‘Tetto dei Galli’ or ‘Tetto del Lupo’. The entrance to the living quarters is through the kitchen, which is almost on ground level. Up a few steps is the living room and opening from this is the bedroom, which gives onto a balcony with steps leading down to the garden below, through which a small brook flows. A steep stairway in the living room leads into the attic, where Giuseppe slept as a child.