 She was built by OTO at La Spezia and named after Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, an Italian explorer and Admiral of World War I.The "Duca degli Abruzzi"-class cruisers were the final version of the and were larger and better protected than their predecessors.The armament was also increased by two extra 152 mm guns, triple turrets replaced twins in the "A" and "Y" positions thus making them the most heavily armed light cruisers of Italy during world war 2.