Pietro Guerra started his cycling career with the amateur club Bruno Gaega S. Lucia of Verona before joining the Gruppo Sportivo Bencini team, and going on to enjoy 40 victories. The highlight of those victories was winning a gold medal in the 100 km team time trial at the 1964 and 1965 World Road Race Championships. He also won a bronze medal in 1966. The 1964 gold-medal winning quartet of Guerra, Severino Andreoli, Luciano Dalla Bona and Ferruccio Manza were surprisingly beaten in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic final by the Netherlands.
Guerra turned professional in 1966 with the Salamini team, and the following year won a stage of Tour of Sardinia and competed in his first Giro d’Italia, finishing 32nd overall. He moved to the Salvarani team in 1968, and spent five years with them, competing in five Giros without victory. He also competed in one Vuelta a España, winning one stage, in 1968, and in his only Tour de France in 1971, he also won one stage. Guerra was the Italian individual pursuit champion in 1971 and 1972, when he was fourth at the World Championships. His final two seasons were spent with the Bianchi team.