He attended the Italian Military Academy of Turin, becoming
sub-lieutenant of Artillery in 1877, and was assigned to the 11th Artillery Regiment. In 1879 reached the rank of lieutenant, and moved to the 2nd Art. Regiment, where he served as adjutant-major. In 1884 was promoted captain and assigned to the Staff of Artillery Corps.
Colonial service In February 1887, was transferred to the General Staff of the Army, and assigned to the African Special Corps of General
Alessandro Asinari di San Marzano in
Eritrea. In December 1891, he was promoted major of Infantry, and reassigned to the General Staff. In 1895, he returned in Africa, serving as a staff officer in the
First Italo-Ethiopian War. While in the Eritrean colony he was promoted twice to the rank of Infantry
Colonel. In 1900, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the VII Army Corps, and three years later was again sent in Africa as commander of the (RCTC
Royal Corps of Colonial Troops). Promoted
Major General, from 1907, he commanded the Infantry brigades "Pisa" and "Cuneo". On the eve of the Libyan War he was promoted
Lieutenant General and took command of the 1st Military Division in
Messina.
The Italo-Turkish War After the outbreak of the
Italo-Turkish War, the
Kingdom of Italy sent in
Libya an army corps, 34,000 men under the command of the seasoned general
Carlo Caneva. The corps itself was formed by two divisions: Pecori Giraldi was appointed commander of one of them. During the fights for
Tripoli, he led the right column in the successful
Italian attack to Ain Zara, and in December 1911, was put in command of the conquered oasis' defenses. Wrongly informed about a group of local leaders who favored the Italians were being held captive in the nearby post of Bir Tobraz, he ordered colonel
Gustavo Fara a sortie. The Italian column was trapped by Turks and local troops. Though he tried to blame Fara for this failure, he was questioned by a military commission and eventually relieved of command. He retired – or, as rumors said, forced to retire – at the end of the war. Although later cleared of all accusations, he was only listed among the Reserve officers.
The First World War In the spring of 1915 when Italy declared war on
Austria-Hungary, he was recalled for duty and commanded first a division and later the VII Army Corps at the lower
Isonzo river. On 8 May 1916, he assumed command of the
Italian First Army to stop the Austrian-Hungarian
Trentino Offensive. On 3 November 1918, in the wake of the
Battle of Vittorio Veneto, he marched into
Trento and occupied the city. He remained civil and military governor of
Trentino-Alto Adige until December 1919. == Later life ==