Piero Corti, whose real name was Pietro, was born in Besana in Brianza on 16 September 1925. His father was Mario Corti, and his brothers included Eugenio Corti, who would go on to be a famous writer and essayist, four years older than him. Piero grew up in a relatively wealthy family, because it had invested in the silk trade at first and then it had moved into the building market.
