But Giampaolo's Serie A career faced another false start due to Salernitana being in the relegation zone.

In July 2005, he went to play for Ascoli, later obtaining Serie A promotion due to the 2006 Italian football scandal.

During the 2015–16 season, he served as assistant to Luca D'Angelo at Fidelis Andria, before returning to Bari to accept a position in charge of their Under-17 team.

[1] On 15 April 2024, he was appointed as a caretaker coach for the first team until the end of the club's 2023–24 Serie B campaign, following the dismissal of Giuseppe Iachini.

[2] Under his tenure, Bari barely suffered relegation, escaping that only after defeating Ternana in a two-legged playoff; he left the team by the end of the season.