He received his early art education at the Accademia di San Luca where he was the pupil of Pietro Gabrini and Cesare Maccari.
He used the same staircase that led to a rabbit-warren of studios including those of Filippo Bartolini (1861-1908), Enrico Tarenghi, Nazzareno Cipriani, all considered to be among Rome's master Orientalists, and the illustrator, Ettore Ximenes.
Although Aureli derives his reputation primarily from his paintings of historic Italy and portraits of the Italian Royal family, his work features many representations of Oriental scenes including: harems, guards, Arabic bazaars and street life.
His Oriental work typically includes elements such as exotic musical instruments, leopard skin, Moroccan ceramics and greenhouse plants.
Examples of his work can be found in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna and L'Aula del Consiglio Provinciale de Rome and in private collections.