He was born in
Trissino in
provincia di Vicenza,
Italy, in 1904, in a poor farmer's family. In 1923, after a violent brawl with a fascist squadron, he fled to the mountains. He was actively pursued by
Benito Mussolini's military police. He went to France and settled in
Moselle, before joining some Italian friends in
Auvergne, where he worked peacefully until the beginning of World War II. ==World War involvement==