He was born in
Florence. He was the grandson of
Luigi Ademollo a Milanese painter, In 1838, he enrolled at the
Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, where he studied with
Giuseppe Bezzuoli. He had his first exhibition in 1848, with scenes of contemporary customs. He came from a liberal family, many of whose members enlisted as volunteers in the
First War of Italian Independence but, as a painter, he remained strictly traditional. He briefly took part in the "" (a group of landscape painters inspired by the
Barbizon school) and frequented the
Caffè Michelangiolo, but never joined the
Macchiaioli. Later, he moved away from landscapes and
genre scenes to depict episodes from the Risorgimento; including the breach of the
Porta Pia during the
Capture of Rome, the "
Handshake of Teano", between
Garibaldi and King
Victor Emmanuel, and the execution of
Felice Orsini. During the
Second Italian War of Independence, he followed the army at his own expense and maintained an extensive correspondence with those involved, requesting details to help him create his paintings. He also participated in the
Third Italian War of Independence, receiving the rank of
Adjutant to the commander of the National Guard of Florence. Later, the King designated him the official painter of the Italian Army. In 1869, he was named a corresponding professor at his alma mater, the Accademia. Ademollo died in Florence in 1911. Many of his letters and other personal items were donated to the "" by his nephew Umberto. The Instituto also possesses one of Ademollo's last works, a posthumous portrait of . ==Selected paintings==