Ungaretti was born in Alexandria, Egypt. In 1912 he moved to Paris, where he studied for a few years. However, he did not take a degree and in 1914 he joined the Italian army. He fought in World War I and his traumatic experiences there shaped his most famous work of poetry, L'allegria (Mirth). In the poems of this collection he explores pain, the sufferings of war with great delicacy and beauty.
Ungaretti continued to write for the rest of his life. He died in Milan.