Giacomo Albertini relocated from Arzo to Turin in his youth to pursue a career as a novelist, journalist, and playwright. After a challenging beginning, he became known for his realistic and sharp novels, such as La venditrice di fumo (The Smoke Vendor) (1883), Le figlie di Eva (Eva's Daughters) (1894) and L’affascinatore (The Mesmerizer) (1900), all serialized in the local newspaper La Gazzetta di Torino under the pen name of “Mario Leoni.” While he was compared to Émile Zola for his commitment to the realistic depiction of social ills, Albertini-Leoni ultimately owed his fame to theatre, as one of the founders of the Turinese dialect theatre. His first play was Bancarotiè (Bankrupter, 1871), followed by Luisa d’Ast (1872), a historical drama, and a series of plays covering social problems such as violence, addiction, and the exploitation of peasants: Ij mal marià (1875), ‘L Bibi (1877), Ij Baraba (1878), and Ij mal nutrì (1886). With La bèla Gigogin (1911), devoted to the Risorgimento theme, he reached the peak of his success. He served as “Consigliere Municipale” (Town Councilor) of Turin, and was later granted the titles of “Grande Ufficiale” and “Deputato” of the Italian Kingdom.