The ship, named for the island of Sicily, was laid down in Venice in November 1884, launched in July 1891, and completed in May 1895.

She took part in the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, where she escorted convoys to North Africa and supported Italian forces ashore by bombarding Ottoman troops.

Specific figures for her cruising radius have not survived, but the ships of her class could steam for 4,000 to 6,000 nautical miles (7,400 to 11,100 km; 4,600 to 6,900 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

[1] Sicilia was armed with a main battery of four 343 mm (13.5 in) 30-caliber guns, mounted in two twin-gun turrets, one on either end of the ship.

Close-range defense against torpedo boats was provided by a battery of sixteen 120 mm (4.7 in) guns in casemates in the upper deck, eight on each broadside.

[10] On 3–4 October, Sicilia and her sisters were tasked with bombarding Fort Sultanje, which was protecting the western approach to Tripoli.

By the morning of the 4th, the ships' gunfire had silenced the guns in the fort, allowing landing forces to go ashore and capture the city.

[11] The ships of the Training Division thereafter alternated between Tripoli and Khoms to support the Italian garrisons in the two cities; this included repulsing a major Ottoman attack on Tripoli over 23–26 October, where Sicilia and Sardegna supported the Italian left flank against concerted Ottoman assaults.

[15] The following month, Sicilia and her sisters, along with six torpedo boats, escorted a convoy carrying an infantry brigade to Buscheifa, one of the last ports in Libya still under Ottoman control.

Sicilia and the rest of the ships continued supporting the advance until the Italians had secured the city on 20 July.

[16] The Training Division then returned to Italy, where they joined the escort for another convoy on 3 August, this time to Zuara, the last port in Ottoman hands.

The ships covered the landing two miles east of Zuara two days later, which was joined by supporting attacks from the west and south.

[18] Sicilia became a depot ship for the new dreadnought battleship Giulio Cesare, which was then nearing completion at Taranto.

Sicilia was stricken on 9 July 1914 and slated to be scrapped, but the Regia Marina decided to retain the ship after World War I broke out at the end of the month.