 He was loaned to Acireale of Serie C1 in the summer of 1997, joining Serie C2's Pro Patria during the 1999–2000 season, and Varese in Serie C1 the next year.In summer 2002, Triestina of Serie B signed Fava in joint-ownership bid, and he finished runner-up top scorer in 2002-03.In the summer, he permanently transferred to Udinese, where he made his Serie A debut on 21 September 2003, against Bologna.