In 1859, he enlisted with the 18th regiment of Bersaglieri to fight for Italian independence. When he returned he found a position in the studios of Stefano Ussi, who later became a close friend. In 1861, he had his first exhibit, together with Ussi, at the "National Arts and Crafts Exposition" in the . In 1866, at the beginning of the Third Italian War of Independence, he enlisted in a unit led by Colonel Menotti Garibaldi. He fought in the Tyrolean Campaign and barely escaped death at the Battle of Bezzecca.