Successively, Mascara moved to the mainland, joining Campanian side Battipagliese in 1997, and remained with the then-Serie C1 club until June 2000, playing just under 50 games for them also scoring 67 goals.

In his first Serie A season, the 26-year-old formed a formidable partnership with Gionatha Spinesi, as the duo led Catania to an impressive 13th-place league finish.

That tally also increases to 15 goals, including the Coppa Italia; to date, it was his most successful season under then-coach Walter Zenga.

[1] On 1 March 2009, Mascara scored a remarkable goal in the Sicilian derby away to Palermo at Stadio Renzo Barbera, taking a long-lobbed shot on the volley from around 55 metres out which left Italian international goalkeeper Marco Amelia falling back into his own net.

Catania went on to win that match 0–4 courtesy of goals from Pablo Ledesma, Takayuki Morimoto, Mascara and Michele Paolucci.

With eight goals scored, Mascara was his club's fourth-top goalscorer, behind Maxi López (12), Takayuki Morimoto (12) and Jorge Martínez (9).

[2] Mascara made his European debut on 17 February in a 0–0 draw with Villareal in the UEFA Europa League, a game in which he also started.

On 24 June 2012, Mascara joined Emirati club Al Nasr on a one-year deal pending a successful medical.

He was targeted by head coach Walter Zenga after Al Nasr striker Luca Toni asked to leave the club after poor form in the first six months of his one-year stay in Dubai.

Following his impressive performances with Catania in the 2008–09 season, Mascara received his first call-up to the Italy national team for the 6 June 2009 friendly game against Northern Ireland, together with teammate Marco Biagianti.

[11] In June 2018 he was named head coach of Sicilian Serie D club Sancataldese,[12] a role from which he resigned later in December of the same year due to poor results.