Dominic Savio was born on 2 April 1842 in Riva di Chier, Turin, Italy. He was the second child out of eleven born to Charles Savio and his wife Brigid. His father was a blacksmith and his mother was a seamstress. Dominic became an altar server at age five. When Dominic received his first Holy Communion, he wrote rules that he would always tried to follow. 