Liguria was built by the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa; her keel was laid in July 1889, she was launched in June 1893, and was commissioned into the fleet in December 1894.

She frequently was assigned to the main fleet, but in 1903–1905 she circumnavigated the world on a diplomatic and scientific mission under the Duke of the Abruzzi.

She took part in the seizure of Benghazi, provided gunfire support to the defenders of Tripoli, and conducted bombardments of Ottoman ports in western Libya and the Red Sea coast of Arabia.

[1] Her propulsion system consisted of a pair of horizontal triple-expansion steam engines that drove two screw propellers.

Tight budgets forced the Navy to reduce the pace of construction so that the funds could be used to keep the active fleet in service.

[1] That year, Liguria was assigned to the Third Division of the Italian fleet, along with San Martino,[4] an ancient center battery ironclad, which had been launched in 1862.

[8][9] Leaving La Spezia on 29 August 1903, she crossed the Atlantic to New Orleans before stops in Havana, Trinidad and Buenos Aires.

She crossed the Indian Ocean, stopping in Madras and Massawa before returning via the Suez Canal to La Spezia on 18 April 1905.

The convoy was heavily protected against a possible Ottoman attack; the escort comprised the four Regina Elena-class pre-dreadnought battleships, two other cruisers, and five destroyers.

On 9 November, she, the armored cruiser Carlo Alberto, the minelayer Partenope, and the torpedo boat Cigno provided critical gunfire support that broke a series of Ottoman attacks on the city.

A month later, Liguria joined Partenope and the torpedo boats Dardo and Euro for a series of bombardments on the ports of Zuwarah, Misrata, and Argub.

In January 1912, Liguria and her sister Elba were transferred to the Red Sea, along with a pair of fast mail steamers.

The cruiser fleet in the Red Sea then began a campaign of coastal bombardments of Ottoman ports in the area.