Santagati grew up in Sicily, in Ramacca, province of Catania. Financial circumstances forced him to finish his education early and to work on farms and in commerce. After the war he migrated to Australia, arriving and establishing himself in Melbourne. He married in 1960 and had two sons. His first work in Australia was in a factory, but during the sixties he began to write. His poetry was published in the Italian-Australian newspaper, La Fiamma, and other journals. In 1987 the first of his books of poetry was published in his native Ramacca, Sicily, and more books have followed, all written in Sicilian dialect and published in Ramacca or Melbourne. In 2005 he won second prize for his poem, 'Lagrimi', in the poetry section of the A.L.I.A.S. ('Accademia Letteraria Italo-Australiana Scrittori') Literary Competition.
Santagati worked for many years as a forklift driver in a cotton mill. After he retired, he revisited his native Ramacca, but continued to live in Melbourne. He has been a painter and sculptor as well as poet.
