Background
Giuntoli was born and raised in Chiesina Uzzanese, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy.
Giuntoli was born and raised in Chiesina Uzzanese, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy.
In 1922, aged 19, he emigrated to San Francisco, arriving with just $2. He worked as a janitor at the Palace Hotel and then as a cook nearby, where Monk Young, his boss, was unable to pronounce his name, and called him bimbo instead (Italian for "boy"), and the nickname stuck. In 1931, the 365 Club, 365 Market Street, was opened as a speakeasy and after-hours gambling club, owned by Young and managed by Giuntoli.
lieutenant soon became the most popular illicit drinking establishment in town.
Musical artists and dancers showcased their work, including a young Rita Hayworth dancing in the chorus line. Bar patrons marveled at Dolfina, "the Girl in the Fishbowl".
In 1936, he employed Victor Rosellini, his wife"s younger brother, in front of house. Rosellini went on to run several restaurants in Seattle, and later became president of the National Restaurant Association.
In 1943, Giuntoli became a naturalized United States citizen.
In 1950 or 1951, Giuntoli, by that time sole owner of the 365 Club, purchased 1025 Columbus Avenue and moved his club there.