Wolde Selassie was born in Asmara, Eritrea, in 1886. At the age of five, he met Attilio Mondelli, an infantry officer from Parma stationed in Eritrea, who claimed to have found him abandoned on the street, though some speculate that the child was, in fact, the officer’s own son by an Eritrean woman.

In any case, once brought to Italy, he was baptized with the name Domenico and raised in Parma alongside two of Attilio’s illegitimate daughters. Following the military tradition of his adoptive family, he entered the Military College of Rome in 1900, later continuing his studies at the Royal Military Academy of Modena, from which he graduated in 1905 as a second lieutenant assigned to the Bersaglieri Corps. He fought with them in Libya during the Italo-Turkish War.

In 1912, he joined the Freemasons and simultaneously developed a strong passion for aviation. In 1914, he earned his pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. When Italy entered World War I, he served as a pilot, becoming the world’s first Black military aviator. During the conflict, he distinguished himself with remarkable skill and bravery, earning three Bronze Medals, two Silver Medals, the title of Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and a promotion to lieutenant colonel.

With the rise of Fascism in Italy, he joined the Voluntary Militia for National Security in 1923. However, only two years later, he was forced to resign when the regime enacted a law barring Freemasons from serving, effectively ending his military career. He then retired to private life in Desio, Lombardy.

Later, during the Fascist period, the introduction of racial laws targeting colonial subjects and mixed-race individuals led to his legacy being erased from public memory. It was only after the end of World War II that his reputation was restored. This recognition allowed him to rejoin the army (as a reserve officer), where he was promoted to brigadier general in 1959, major general in 1963, and lieutenant general in 1968. His career reached its peak in 1970, when President Giuseppe Saragat awarded him the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, making him the first Black person to receive all these honors.

The fall of Fascism also enabled him to resume his Masonic activities, and in 1956 he was conferred the 33rd degree, the highest rank in Freemasonry, as Sovereign Grand Inspector General. Domenico Mondelli passed away in 1974 at the Celio Military Hospital in Rome.