Marega was born in Trieste, Italy, in 1871. He learned sculpture in trade schools, art schools and artist studios. Around 1900 he moved to South Africa where he was associated with sculptor Anton van Wouw. He arrived in Vancouver in October, 1909. Marega's first Canadian commission was the bronze bust of Vancouver's second mayor, David Oppenheimer, 1910. Marega was one of the original teachers in 1925 at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts (now Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design) and was an active member of the British Columbia Art League. He changed his first name from Carlo to Charles after becoming a Canadian citizen in 1926. The Maregas were thought a handsome couple, she was beautiful and he was finely groomed with a waxed mustache. They made an impressive entrance at events. Marega did the ornamental work at the Orpheum Theatre and a number of decorated plaster ceilings and walls in private homes in Shaughnessy. Prior to WWII Marega was commissioned by the Italian Consulate to produce a plaster bust of Benito Mussolini. It was left behind when the Italian Consulate closed during the war and is now in the Vancouver Archives. Marega was plagued by poverty during the Depression but managed a few more commissions. He died of a heart attack at the art school in 1939 at the age of 68.