"Varese", named after the Battle of Varese during the Second Italian War of Independence, was laid down by Orlando at their shipyard in Livorno on 24 January 1898, launched on 6 August 1899 and completed on 5 April 1901. The ship made port visits to Algiers on 14 September 1903 and Barcelona on 4 April 1904. During the 1905 fleet maneuvers, she was assigned to the "hostile" force blockading La Maddalena, Sardinia. "Varese" was present in Athens during the Intercalated Olympic Games in April 1906. Together with her sister ships and , the ship was in Marseilles, France on 15–16 September 1906 to participate in a fleet review for Armand Fallières, President of France, on the latter date. Under the command of Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, "Varese" was present at the Jamestown Exposition in May 1907. The ship was assigned to the Levant from 1 October 1909 to 20 February 1910 and then based at Suda Bay, Crete from 23 August to 20 September 1911.