He was born in Milan in 1923. He started working as a textile designer; in 1944 he attended the High School of Art of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan where he was taught by Usellini and Carrà. After graduating, he collaborated as an advertiser with Pagot Film, developing experimental short films. In 1947 he worked at the Ciuti studio until 1950; Tovaglia subsequently embarked on a career as a freelancer and, between 1945 and 1956, worked for Finmeccanica dealing with an advertising campaign that was worth reporting to him on Graphis.

In 1957 with Giulio Confalonieri, Ilio Negri and Michele Provinciali he founded the “studio CNTP”, a great experiment which, however, was short-lived. Then he joined the “Exibition Design” research group with Coppola, Confalonieri, Grignani and Munari. His activity also ranges in the setting up as evidenced by the experience of Italy ’61, at the Palazzo del Lavoro in Turin where the symbolic element is applied to the graphic design. From 1967 to 1970 he was the art director of Pirelli, where he collaborated with Mulas and Ballo.

Tovaglia also has a long collaboration with the Nebiolo foundry as coordinator of a research group. It also deals with the image of companies and publishing groups such as Ottagono, Alfa Romeo, Regione Lombardia (with Munari, Noorda and Sambonet), Fai, Fini, Touring Club, and advertising campaigns for various companies: Splugen, Alitalia, Lanerossi, FlexForm, Bassetti, Flos, Acna, Nava, Alessi, Valenti, Artflex, Montesud, Videograf, MonteShell, Montecatini, Mathers International and for magazines such as Ufficio Moderno and Stile Industria.

He also works in the field of animation for RAI with Bruno Bozzetto and for RadioTelefortuna 67. He dies at the age of 53, leaving the enormous contribution of his rigorous visual research. Also noteworthy is his teaching activity, carried out since ’54: he taught “Graphic Design and Visualization” at the Higher School of Art of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, in the technical-artistic courses of the Humanitarian, “Coordinated Image” at the Polytechnic school of Design and “Graphic Design” at the Isia of Urbino.