Vittorio Tedesco Zammarano

Who is Vittorio Tedesco Zammarano?

Vittorio Tedesco Zammarano was an explorer and writer.

He was born in Paris, France on June 8, 1890 to Italian parents Ettore Tedesco and Ida D'Ascanio.

After relocating to Rome following his father's death, his mother married Adolfo Zammarano. Later as a young man Vittorio enrolled in the Accademia Militare di Modena on November 5, 1908, where he graduated on September 17, 1910 with the rank of 1st lieutenant. From there he went on to the 51st Infantry Regiment. After a three month course for aviator pilots at the Specialist Battalion of the Engineer Corps he was sent to Libya with the 60th Infantry Regiment to fight in the Italo-Turkish War of 1912.

Upon his return to Italy in 1913 he was promoted to lieutenant. At the end of the year he was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Battalion of Libya where he remained until January 1915, at which time he was repatriated to Italy.

His newfound love for Africa was so strong that he requested to be transferred to the Royal Corps of Colonial Somali Troops and was placed at the orders of the Ministry of Colonies in March of the same year. So begins his adventurous career as explorer and big-game hunter, as well as zoologist, geographer, cartographer, hydrographer, meteorologist, anthropologist, writer, film-maker, photographer, and impromptu doctor.