He was born in Noto but completed his studies in Naples, graduating in Literature, a pupil of the Dante scholar it:Francesco Torraca.
[1] At the end of the 30s he moved to Il Giornale d'Italia for which he became a war correspondent and made a number of voyages with the Regia Marina.
[2] During this assignment, he sometimes had some linotypists from the Corriere secretly compose the texts for the anti-fascist sheet Fronte, transporting himself the heavy type from the rotary press to be printed at the home of Albe and it:Lica Steiner, where Elio Vittorini also worked.
The night of the occupation of Rome by the Germans (8 September 1943), in agreement with Vittorini, Pietro Ingrao, Celeste Negarville, Gillo Pontecorvo and it:Salvatore Di Benedetto, De Vita had the presses of the Corriere print a large number of copies of the single-sheet paper La Liberta del Popolo.
[2] In 1945, after the war, together with it:Michele Rago, Alfonso Gatto and Mario Bonfadini he founded the afternoon newspaper it:Milano Sera and was its director from 15 December 1945 to 4 November 1954.