Rocco studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Naples, where he was influenced by the free brushstroke and color tones of Domenico Morelli; and by the exemplary dedication by Filippo Palizzi to the lines of his drawings and scenes composition. He migrated to Brazil in 1913, carrying in his suitcase the canvases "Os Imigrantes" and "Os Mineiros". He not only cared about portraying social themes -- such as the exodus of rural workers from Naples --, but also devoted himself to landscape paintings and domestic scenes.