Italy: Laurenzano chooses Trento again: “I can’t imagine myself anywhere else”

Some contracts are about money, some are about ambition, and some are simply about recognising that a particular place has become home.
For Gabriele Laurenzano, the decision to remain with Trentino Volley until 2029 appears to belong firmly to the third category.
The Italian libero has signed a three-year extension with the club, continuing a journey that began in the summer of 2022, when Trento brought him from Taranto at just 19. Four seasons later, the relationship has produced two Italian championships, in 2023 and 2025, a Champions League title in 2024 and, perhaps just as importantly, the transformation of a promising teenager into one of the most established young liberos in Italian volleyball.

“I can’t imagine myself anywhere else,” Laurenzano said after signing the new contract. “Trentino Volley believed in me when I was still very young and has always shown confidence in my abilities. Trento launched me at the highest level and helped me grow in every way. My gratitude to this environment is shown not only by this renewal, but also by the commitment I put in every time I wear this shirt, whether in training or in a match.”

The numbers tell part of the story. Laurenzano has already made 192 appearances for Trento, including 52 in his first season, 47 in 2023/24, another 52 in 2024/25 and 41 last season. His official club honours also include an Under-19 Italian title won before his move to the senior level, while his youth career with Italy brought European titles and a World Under-21 silver medal.
His rise in Trento has gone hand in hand with his emergence in the Italian national team. Laurenzano made his senior debut in May 2024 against Serbia and was subsequently part of Italy’s Olympic cycle, before becoming a regular international option in the following seasons. He was also part of the Italian squad at EuroVolley 2026, confirming how quickly the young libero has moved from being regarded as a prospect to becoming part of the present as well as the future of the national team.
That progression is particularly striking considering where his volleyball story began.
Born in Rossano, Calabria, on June 12, 2003, Laurenzano initially played as an outside hitter before being converted to libero during his youth years. He developed through Corissano Volley and Materdomini Castellana Grotte, gained his first senior experience in Serie B with Gioia and Castellana, and eventually reached SuperLega with Taranto. The move to Trento in 2022 changed the scale of his career.

At Trento, he also became part of a particularly strong Italian defensive core alongside Daniele Lavia and Alessandro Michieletto, with the three forming a familiar reception line for both club and national-team volleyball. His value has never been limited to statistics: reading the game, staying composed under pressure and taking responsibility in the back row have become defining characteristics of his game.
The timing of the renewal is significant too.
Laurenzano and Lavia only returned to Trento at the beginning of October after their international commitments, joining Marcelo Méndez’s group as the club began putting the pieces together for a new season. Trento’s 2026/27 roster has undergone several changes, making the decision to secure one of the team’s established Italian pillars until 2029 particularly important.

For Trentino Volley president Marcello Poli, Laurenzano is no longer a player whose potential needs to be discussed in the future tense.

“Laurenzano is no longer simply an interesting prospect, but a reality on the international volleyball scene whom we have developed and whom we are proud to continue having with us. We are investing in his future and in ours.”

That may ultimately be the most telling aspect of the agreement. Trento did not simply sign Laurenzano when he was already established; it invested in him before the wider volleyball world knew exactly how far he could go. Four years later, the club has chosen to continue that bet, while the player has made it clear that he sees no reason to look elsewhere.
The next three seasons will therefore be another chapter of the same story rather than a new beginning: the boy who arrived from Taranto at 19 is now a European champion, a two-time Italian champion and an established international libero, with his future firmly tied to the yellow and blue of Trento until at least 2029.

____________________

👀|QUICK LINKS
• All news from Italy 🇮🇹
• ALL NEWS ABOUT TRANSFERS 🛒
• Multimedia
• Facebook
• Instagram

___________________