Italian Mario Cavalla enjoyed success as a winter sportsman and as a painter. On the snow Cavalla competed in the ski jump, finishing as the runner-up at the 1922 Italian championships. Two years later he participated in the large hill event at the 1924 Chamonix Olympics, finishing 19th. As a painter he trained at the Accademia Albertina in Torino before moving to the north-west coastal town of Bordighera in 1924. During the day he worked in a bank but found time to convert his camper van into a mobile home studio. In 1931 Cavalla left his day job to embark on a trip throughout France and Spain, before arriving in Algeria.
Italy