Born in 1676 in
Tortona, Ignazio was the adopted son of the architect
Antonio Bertola and followed in his footsteps as a military engineer. In 1720 he was commissioned to build or renovate the new defensive system of the
Duchy of Savoy whose necessity had emerged after the
Treaty of Utrecht.This work ended six years later, getting the approval of the military experts of the time. He made works of civil and military engineering in
Alessandria and in Fenestrelle and built the so-called "road of the guns", a trail between the valleys
Varaita and
Maira. He held the office of
Master of Fortresses and then
First Engineer of Her Majesty. He was the first director of the "School of Theory and Practice of Artillery of
Piedmont", which was founded in 1736. In 1742 he was appointed
count of
Exilles by
Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy. Bertola died in
Turin in 1755. == References ==