Romeo Oliva was born in Vallo della Lucania, in the province of Salerno, in 1889, and entered in the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1907, graduating in 1911 with the rank of Ensign. Between 1911 and 1912 he participated in the Italo-Turkish War, first on board the battleship "Ammiraglio di Saint Bon" and then on cruiser "Amerigo Vespucci". In 1913-1914 he served with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant on the armored cruiser "Marco Polo", stationed in China, after which he was assigned the Regia Marina detachment in Beijing until 24 May 1915, the date of Italy's entry into World War I.