Born in Correggio, near Reggio Emilia in central Italy, in a middle-class family, he studied under Umberto Eco ar hte University of Bologna. His literary legacy consists of four novels, Altri libertini (1980), Pao pao (1982), Rimini (1985), and Camere separate (1989), the last three focusing on homosexuality. The last one was written when Tondelli discovered he was HIV-positive and had an AIDS-related illness.

Tondelli did not intend this novel to make his own condition public, nor did it do so. Instead he returned to his family to live the final two years of his life, and, perhaps surprisingly for one who had been so engaged in public debate, chose to remain silent about his illness.

His essays were published under the title Un weekend post-moderno (1990).