 He received early training in painting from his father Vincenzo, who specialized in paintings of architectural interiors, and Abbati's own early paintings were interiors.He participated in Garibaldi's 1860 campaign, suffering the loss of his right eye at the Battle of Capua.Afterwards he moved to Florence where, at the Caffè Michelangiolo, he met Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega, and the rest of the artists who would soon be dubbed the Macchiaioli.