His best known work is the symphonic poem Sardegna, a tribute to his native Sardinia, which premiered in Florence in 1933.

Porrino was born in Cagliari and studied at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

That same year he married Malgari Onnis (born 1935), a painter and theatrical designer.

She designed the production of Porrino's last work, the opera I Shardana, which premiered on 21 March 1959, six months before his death.

The Concorso Internazionale di Pianoforte Ennio Porrino was established in his memory in 1980.