José A. Larco

Giuseppe Alberto Larco, Count of Altavilla (known in Peru as José Alberto Larco Bruno; — ) was an Italian businessman, diplomat, politician and philanthropist. In 1883, Larco was made Count of Altavilla by King Umberto I of Italy.

A member of the prominent Larco family, he established himself in Peru in 1859, where he served as mayor of Miraflores (1891–1893) and as founder and first president of the Banco Italiano. He returned to his native Sardinia in 1899, where he also worked in the local government and financed the creation of the Ospizio Marino Regina Margherita, a health centre in Alghero.

Early life and family Giuseppe Alberto Larco (later known in Peru as José) was born in Alghero (then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia) on , to parents Gerolamo Larco and Margherita Bruno. The pair married on . Gerolamo was originally from Santa Margherita Ligure, as was Margherita's father, also called Gerolamo. Larco was the first of nine children, seven boys and two girls (two boys and one girl died in infancy). Larco's father worked in the textile industry, and the children were instructed by local priest Francesco Saverio Derosas. The second to arrive was Fructuoso, who lived in the country for a few years.

In 1859, and continued his family's philanthropic tradition. The avenue itself gave its name to Larcomar, one of the city's most important shopping centres.