Luigi Castagnola was an Italian water polo player. In his career he won a bronze medal at the 1975 World Championships in Cali (Colombia), a gold medal at the 1975 Mediterranean Games, a silver medal at the 1976 Montréal Olympics, and a bronze medal at the 1977 European Championships in Jönköping (Sweden). With the national team he débuted in 1973 at the “Six Nations” tournament in The Netherlands and won a total of 99 international caps. Domestically, with the Pro Recco club, he won the national title in 1982 and 1983, the year in which he also won the European Champions League.
After his sporting career, he became interested in local politics in his hometown of Sori, close to Genova. In the local elections of 14 June 2004, he was elected mayor in a centre-right civic list called “Insieme per Sori”. His position was confirmed in a second term from 2009 until 26 May 2014.