Born in Monello, a frazione of Binago, near Varese, in Lombardy. He trained at the Accademia delle Belle Arti of Milan. He won the Contest of Vittadini in Milan for the design of a marketplace; next, he won a prize from the Accademia for the Oggioni stipend, which allowed him to set up his own studio. He also entered the contests to design the "Monument of the Cinque Giornate di Milano" (1884, ultimately assigned to Giuseppe Grandi) and the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome (1882, for which he won second prize). He also designed the Ossuary at Custoza.