The last sail-rigged ironclad of the Italian fleet, she had a single steam engine that was capable of propelling the ship at a speed of slightly over 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).

Principe Amadeo was withdrawn from service in 1888 and converted into a headquarters ship for the vessels defending Taranto.

[2] Her propulsion system consisted of one single-expansion steam engine that drove a single screw propeller, with steam supplied by six coal-fired, cylindrical fire-tube boilers that were vented through a single funnel placed directly aft of the conning tower.

The ship was barque-rigged to supplement the steam engine; Principe Amedeo and her sister were the last rigged ironclads to be built by Italy.

Principe Amedeo was protected by iron belt armor that was 8.7 in (221 mm) thick and extended for the entire length of the hull.

[2] Principe Amedeo was laid down at the Arsenale di La Spezia in August 1865, and her completed hull was launched on 15 January 1872.

[2] Obsolescent by the time she was completed, Principe Amedeo primarily served in the Italian colonial empire,[3] which Italy had begun acquiring in the 1880s.

[7] For the annual fleet maneuvers held in 1885, Principe Amedeo served as the flagship of the "Eastern Squadron", with Rear Admiral Civita commanding.