Paolo Nicolai (born 6 August 1988) is an Italian beach volleyball player.

In 2007 and 2008, he won the FIVB Youth Beach Volleyball World Championships (with Francesco Giontella).

Lupo and Nicolai qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games, where they were eliminated by the Dutch team Nummerdor-Schuil in the quarter-finals.

Lupo and Nicolai won the Beach Volleyball European World Championships twice, once in 2014 and again in 2016.

A series of podiums in the World Tour also granted them the qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics, where they reached the final, winning the silver medal.