She was initially assigned as a scout for the main Italian fleet before a stint abroad in South America, where an outbreak of yellow fever killed half of her crew.

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

She was launched on 12 July 1890, and after completing fitting-out work, the new cruiser was commissioned into the Italian fleet on 16 February 1893, the first member of her class to enter service.

An outbreak of yellow fever decimated the ship's crew while she was in Rio de Janeiro; 134 men died as a result of the epidemic.

The men were buried in local cemeteries and were eventually re-interred in a large mausoleum in Rio de Janeiro in 1904.

[6] For the periodic fleet maneuvers during the year, Lombardia was assigned to the First Division of the Reserve Squadron, which was centered on the ironclad battleships Duilio, Ruggiero di Lauria, and Lepanto.

[10] The following month, she joined an international fleet that took part in the funeral of the Chinese Viceroy of Liangjiang, Liu Kunyi.

Later that year, Lombardia was stationed in Italian Somaliland where she visited Illig, a small town on cliffs about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Hobyo.

A landing party attempted to go to shore to negotiate with a group of raiders who had fortified the town, but they were driven off by rifle fire.

[15] By the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, she was still serving in this capacity, under the command of Prince Luigi Amedeo, then the Inspector of Torpedo Boats.