Partenope was a torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in the 1880s, the lead ship of her class, which included seven other vessels.

[3] Her propulsion system consisted of a pair of horizontal triple-expansion steam engines each driving a single screw propeller.

Specific figures for Partenope's engine performance have not survived, but the ships of her class had top speeds of 18.1 to 20.8 knots (33.5 to 38.5 km/h; 20.8 to 23.9 mph) at 3,884 to 4,422 indicated horsepower (2,896 to 3,297 kW).

[4] In 1893, Partenope was assigned to the 2nd Division of the Italian fleet, along with the ironclad Enrico Dandolo and the protected cruiser Vesuvio.

[6] Partenope joined the ironclads Re Umberto, Sardegna, Ruggiero di Lauria, and Andrea Doria and the cruisers Stromboli and Etruria for a visit to Spithead in the United Kingdom in July 1895.

[7] All of the ships, save Sardegna and Ruggiero di Lauria, joined an international naval demonstration in late 1895 off Crete during a period of tension between Greece and the Ottoman Empire that culminated in the Greco-Turkish War.

[4] During 1901, Partenope was joined by the ironclads Enrico Dandolo, Andrea Doria, and Francesco Morosini, the armored cruiser Carlo Alberto, and three torpedo boats.

[10] By 1904, the Italian fleet had expanded enough to increase the 1st Division to the 1st Squadron; this unit spent seven months in commission for training and five in reserve.

[14] A month later, Partenope, Liguria, and the torpedo boats Dardo and Euro conducted a series of bombardments on the ports of Zuwarah, Misrata, and Argub.

Instead, Revel decided to implement a blockade at the relatively safer southern end of the Adriatic with the main fleet, while smaller vessels, such as the MAS boats, conducted raids on Austro-Hungarian ships and installations.

[17] Partenope was initially used to lay a series of defensive minefields, along with her sister Minerva and the cruiser Goito, in support of this strategy.