Scarafoni, who could play as either a forward or a winger, began his playing career in the 1981-82 season with his hometown club, Ascoli. He spent seven seasons with Ascoli, after which he had spells in both Serie A and Serie B with Bari, Pisa, Cesena and Palermo. His most prolific season was in 1993-94, when his 15 goals helped Cesena to the brink of promotion to Serie A–Cesena missed out on promotion after losing a play-off with Padova.