Of Sicilian descent, as a junior athlete, he came 52nd at the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He came 16th over 5000 metres at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics, but managed a 1500 metres/5000 m double at the Italian junior championships. He won a team silver medal in the under-23 section of the 2006 European Cross Country Championships, courtesy of his tenth-place finish. He improved to fifth place in this category at the 2007 European race. Senior success came two years later in the form of a 5000 m silver medal at the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara and a team bronze medal at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships alongside Daniele Meucci.