 He played the first Serie A match on 22 September 1996 against Fiorentina as starter, which the Veneto side lost 0–2 to "la viola".He played 30 league matches that season (all as starter), and followed the team relegated to Serie B.In 1998, he was signed by newly relegated league rival Atalanta, in exchange with Paolo Foglio, and won promotion back to Serie A in 2000 as the 4th.