Took up the game aged nine when he joined his local course, Bormio Golf Club in Lombardy, Italy. Represented his country for the first time in 2001, before winning the European Boys Amateur Championship in 2003. Also won the Italian Amateur Championship on three occasions: at Under-16 level in 2003, at Under-18 in 2005, and at Under-21 in 2007. He is friends with his compatriots the Molinari brothers, and joined the duo on The European Tour International Schedule in 2009 after earning his card at the 2008 Qualifying School – Final Stage, where he finished 29th in his first tournament as a professional. Subsequently struggled for consistency in his debut campaign on The European Tour, but bounced back through the Challenge Tour this season after securing eight top ten finishes– including at the lucrative Madeira Islands Open – to finish 2010 in seventh place in the Challenge Tour Rankings. Cites Major Champion Ernie Els of South Africa as his golfing hero.