Balestri started his career at hometown club Pisa, where he won the Serie D champion. After just played twice at Serie C2, he returned to Serie D for Castelfiorentino. In mid-1999 he moved to Montevarchi of Serie C1, where he was spotted by Modena. At Modena he won two promotion in two season, from Serie C1 to Serie A the Italian top division. At Serie A he was the regular starter in the two seasons. After Modena finished as the second least and relegated, Balestri was signed by another Serie A struggler Reggina. With Reggina, he played 37 out of possible 39 matches for the club and finished in mid-table. After played the first match of 2005–06 season, Torino of Serie B signed Balestri. He won promotion with club again, and secured a place in their Serie A campaign. In July 2007 he left for Serie B club Mantova, and continued to play as a regular.
