Despite his rising success and new opportunity,Pino felt restricted in Milan. Seeking complete artistic freedom brought him to the United States in 1979. He was sponsored by the Borghi Gallery, where he held many shows in New York and Massachusetts.

Moving to the United States would turn out to be a great challenge. His sponsorship barely supported enough for him to feed his family, troubles which were only heightened due to his limited English skills, and his only method of transportation was a bicycle. After seeking employment from many people, in February of 1980, "Zebra Books Publishers" gave him a job doing a book cover. The success of his illustrations was so great that he was able to network with many prominent publishers of romance novels.

His popularity blossomed within the literary community. Pino dedicated 13 years to illustrating book covers, but never lost his desire to return to fine art. His passion to create pieces that break free from outside restrictions fueled his passion to dedicate himself to fine art again, which he continued to do until he passed away in 2010.