He was the fourth child and third eldest son of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and his wife Adelaide of Austria.

Born with a serious genetic disease, from the age of two he showed severely debilitating symptoms (dwarfism and developmental deformity);[1] he was therefore placed on the margins of the court life of the House of Savoy due to poor health.

Endowed with intelligence, resourcefulness and intellectual liveliness, he therefore dedicated himself to studying, taking an interest in his short existence in various subjects, both scientific and artistic.

During his brief life, the prince was occupied with the study of art and the acquisition of artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome for the city of Genoa, which remain in the Museum of Ligurian Archaeology (Italian: Museo di Archeologia Ligure).

As a scholar, the prince had come into contact with leading cultural figures, including the sculptor Santo Varni, who served as his adviser and friend, Tammar Luxoro, and Pasquale Domenico Cambiaso.