 Also in 1542 he became "maestro di cappella" at the cathedral in Savona, but he only held this position for a year; the cathedral was destroyed in 1543 by the Genoese, and Ruffo fled.In either 1543 or 1544 he went to Milan to work for Alfonso d'Avalos, who was the governor of Milan at this time.When d'Avalos was called back to Madrid in 1546, Ruffo went back to in Verona, where he was the music director at the Accademia Filarmonica in 1551-1552, superseding Jan Nasco; in 1554 he became the choirmaster at the cathedral of Verona.