After living the Bohemian artist's life and studying at private art academies in Paris in the 1930s, he moved back to Bern, Switzerland to enter the Swiss army.
The outbreak of the Second World War caused Vitali to be drafted into the Swiss Army; however, he was fortunate as he was able to serve near his home in Gütighausen, guarding the bridge over the river Thur.
This dark cloud did reveal a silver lining as this left him with enough time to design furniture for a local carpenter's shop, as well as make toys for his own children.
This was the beginning of the Vitali legacy of producing hand carved, carefully rounded toys that evolved from his observation of how his own children play.
After the end of the war, he formed a business relationship with Switzerlands' most important toy store, Franz Carl Weber (FCW).