My name is Gianluca di Castri, I am born in Rome on the 9.th of June 1947. Notwithstanding the fact that I was born in Rome, for reasons related to my father’s profession, I consider myself and in fact I am Neapolitan.
My father, Mario di Castri, was a general in the Italian Army, decorated among other things with three silver medals and a bronze medal and member of the Role of Honour.
My mother, Maria Rosaria Buccino Grimaldi, was a pianist, a pupil of Francesco Cilea: although she had obtained the piano diploma both in normal and masterly levels, she had never practiced her profession.
It was she who taught me how to play the piano, that I abandoned after her death (1958) and that I am trying, with difficulty, to resume now.
I married on the 13.th of May, 1974 with Francesca Adele Bianchi and I have a daughter.
I attended the Liceo Classico (the Mameli, in Rome), I graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1972 and I subsequently obtained the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management at the Bocconi University; I am also a Certified Cost Engineer (1992). In June 2012 I have been appointed Distinguished International Fellow of the ICEC.
Professionally, I have considerable experience in Project Management & Controls in the field of engineering and construction, achieved as an engineer, manager and finally with general management positions at companies of engineering and construction of international importance. Currently, I work as a consultant and lecturer in the various disciplines of Total Cost Management. I am author of many publications and two books.
Anyone wishing to know more about it can have a look to my website http://www.ideaconsult.it.
I was involved in the activities of the Catholic Church at various levels, and for two terms (ten years) I was a member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council of the Archdiocese of Milan, at the time of Cardinal Tettamanzi and, in the last period, of Cardinal Scola.
I have been living in several places: a childhood spent between Rome and Naples, school and University time in Rome until graduation then, in 1972, I moved to Milan. In 1978 I started working in the Middle East, first in Kuwait, then in Syria (Aleppo), in Libya (Tripoli) and in Iran (Arak). Returning permanently to Italy in the early 90s, I live on the river Adda, halfway between Milan and Bergamo.
I have many interests, in addition to those related to my professional activity. I tried to maintain and keep up to date the classical culture, having its origins in my scholastic education, as well as my university culture, I also have interests deriving from the profession (economic, financial and cost engineering, organization, planning and control, general economy and economics of development, law) as well as exclusively personal (theology, history of religions and biblical culture, glottology and linguistics, linguistic systems, historical studies, military history, heraldry, history of institutions, history of religions and philosophy, photography, chess) .
From the political point of view, I call myself “conservative” and “right-wing Catholic” where
- for “Catholic” (in politics) I mean those who want a state that promotes a legislative system, if not compliant, at least not in contrast with the natural law and with the social doctrine of the Church;
- for “conservative” (not to be confused with misoneist, they are two very different things) I mean those who believe that there are permanent values, that must be maintained, and contingent values, linked to the particular historical moment and that before “throwing away” something you must try to make it work and, if this is not possible, make a gradual change and that it is not a change from the best to the worst.
- for “right-wing”, leaving aside here the differences of an anthropological character, I mean the reference to the values of authority, order, justice; hierarchy, competence; income production; balance between rights and duties (mind the “left” refers to equality, distribution of income, equal rights and duties for all).
Gianluca di Castri
21/05/2018
Gianluca di Castri (IdeaConsult) 