| abstract | - Caviglia was born in Finalmarina (the marine borough of Finale Ligure), the sixth son of Pietro Caviglia and Antonietta Saccone. After early studies in his hometown, in 1877 he gained admission to the military college in Milan. Later on, in 1880 he became a cadet in the Military Academy of Turin; three years later he received his first promotion to Second Lieutenant in the artillery corps. Caviglia took part in the African campaign of 1888/89 in Eritrea as a First Lieutenant in the II Artillery regiment; in 1891 he was admitted to the War School. The year 1893 saw him promoted to Captain; two years later he was attached to the command of Division Perugia. In 1896 and 1897 he took part anew in the African campaign and was present when the Italian army suffered a dreadful defeat in the Battle of Adowa in Ethiopia. By this time, he was known especially for the quality of his works in matters of geography. After several other assignments, in 1904 he was appointed as extraordinary military attaché in Tokyo, Japan, where he was tasked with observing Japanese military operations in the Russo-Japanese War. From 1905 to 1911, he became the titular military attaché first in the Japanese capital, then in Beijing, China. On 22 September 1908 he was awarded the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and honorary Field assistant to the king. In 1912 Caviglia was sent to Tripolitania and Cyrenaica: his task was to overview both the negotiations for the pullout of the Turkish troops and the pacification of Arab and Berber chieftains. On 6 February 1913 he was appointed vice director of the Military Geographic Institute (IGM) in Florence, to reach the rank of Colonel the next year.
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