Her career was limited after the war, owing to the emergence of more modern ironclads and a severe reduction in the Italian naval budget following their defeat at Lissa.

Persano claimed he was simply waiting on the ironclad ram Affondatore, en route from Britain, but his inaction weakened morale in the fleet, with many of his subordinates openly accusing him of cowardice.

[3] Rear Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff brought the Austrian fleet to Ancona on June 27, in an attempt to draw out the Italians.

Regina Maria Pia was one of the few ironclads fit for action, so she, Castelfidardo, San Martino, and Principe di Carignano formed up to prepare to attack Tegetthoff's ships.

Persano held a council of war aboard Principe di Carignano to determine whether he should sortie to engage Tegetthoff, but by that time, the Austrians had withdrawn, making the decision moot.

The Minister of the Navy, Agostino Depretis, urged Persano to act and suggested the island of Lissa, to restore Italian confidence after their defeat at the Battle of Custoza the previous month.

[5] Regina Maria Pia was at that time in the 3rd Division, commanded by Captain Augusto Riboty, along with the ironclads Terribile, Formidabile, and Re di Portogallo, and the coastal defense ship Varese.

After spending the 18th unsuccessfully bombarding the Austrian fortresses, the Italians withdrew late in the day, preparing to launch another attack the following morning.

[6] The next morning, Persano ordered another attack; four ironclads would force the harbor defenses at Vis while Regina Maria Pia and the rest of the fleet would attempt to suppress the outer fortifications.

[7] Shortly before the action began, Persano decided to leave his flagship Re d'Italia and transfer to Affondatore, though none of his subordinates on the other ships were aware of the change.

He failed to ram any Italian vessels on the first pass, so he turned back toward Persano's ships, and took Re d'Italia, San Martino, and Palestro under heavy fire.

[10] After the battle, Vacca replaced Persano; he was ordered to attack the main Austrian naval base at Pola, but the war ended before the operation could be carried out.

[11] For the rest of her long career, Regina Maria Pia served in a variety of roles, both in the main fleet and in Italy's colonial empire.

[1] By October 1871, Regina Maria Pia had been stationed in La Spezia, along with her sisters Castelfidardo and San Martino, Affondatore, and the new ironclad Roma.

[14] Regina Maria Pia was part of the international fleet that assembled at Tessaloniki during the Salonika Incident in May 1876 in response to the murder of the French and German consuls in the city.