The Reggia Marine had some of the best European battleships and great AA weapons in the Littorio class. They were respected by all Mediterranean powers. So much so that the Nazis used their Fritz X guided bombs to sink one and damage another while they were on their way to surrender at Malta. Their designs tended to sacrifice protection for speed, but were useful, balanced designs. Leadership was something else entirely.
They didn't, for various reasons, fulfill the mission for which they were designed and built. So, regardless of their attributes, they failed, miserably in some instances.