Bartolomeo Gastaldi

Bartolomeo Gastaldi (10 February 1818 – 5 January 1879) was an Italian geologist and palæontologist, and one of the founders of the Club Alpino Italiano.

As a child he developed a passion for fossils; the finds he made during excursions in the areas around Turin and Asti were to form the basis for his extensive collection of fossils and geological specimens.

On the death of his father in 1843 he abandoned his legal work and devoted his energies to geology and palaeontology, making field trips in various parts of Italy and in Spain.

He spent the years 1849–52 in Paris taking courses at the Ecole des Mines, the Jardin des Plantes, the Collège de France and the Sorbonne.

Also at this time he first met Quintino Sella with whom he was to form a lasting friendship.