[1] His father, Count Carlo Ilarione Petitti di Roreto, was an economist and writer, considered one of the most important movers behind the reforms of king Charles Albert of Sardinia while his mother was Gabriella Genna.

[3] In November of the same year he was promoted to major and with this rank he held the position of chief of staff of the 6th Division under General Alfonso La Marmora.

[4] Chief of Staff in the Crimean War (1855 - 1856),[5][6] in November 1858 he assumed command of the Field Artillery Regiment in Venaria Reale which he held until 26 April 1859.

[7] In 1859 he took part in the Second Italian War of Independence, fighting alongside General La Marmora in the battles of Palestro, Magenta and Solferino;[8] where he notably took part in the action at Madonna della Scoperta, about which he later wrote a memoir Madonna della Scoperta (Battle of San Martino, 24 June 1859) A Historical Tactical Study, edited by his nephew General Alfonso Petitti di Roreto and published posthumously in 1909.

[2] His ministerial activity was characterized by important interventions to reorganize the army, including the merger of the corps of Garibaldi volunteers into the regular troops, and by the impetus given to the establishment of schools for the military and related educational programs.