Originally classified as esploratori or scouts, this class was in response to the French contre-torpilleurs (destroyers) of the Jaguar and Guépard-classes. Trials with light displacement and overloaded machinery led to speeds of up to 43.5 knots. However, that could not be achieved under service conditions. Worse, they were found to lack stability and it was necessary to rebuild them with a clipper bow, increased beam, and reduced superstructure in the late 1930s, with a corresponding reduction in speed to 28 knots. They suffered heavily in the Mediterranean, with only a few surviving until the end of the war.