Armando Diaz's builder and the OTO Melara legacy

Both cruisers came from experienced yards. Armando Diaz's builder belonged to the Orlando organization, whose industrial lineage continued through OTO Melara. The later company became a major name in modern naval guns and Italian defence exports. These shipbuilding traditions predated the Cadorna class and continued long after it. Light armour should therefore be read as a design choice rather than evidence of poor construction.