About the work
Joseph Haydn set Carlo Goldoni's libretto as a three-act dramma giocoso in 1769; the opera premiered on 16 September 1770 at the Eszterháza court theatre, for the wedding of Nikolaus Esterházy's niece Maria Theresia von Lamberg to Count Alois Poggi.
Plot
In Taranto, fisherwomen Nerina and Lesbina each hope to be the missing heiress of Benevento when Prince Lindoro arrives searching for her — even though both are already promised to the fishermen brothers Burlotto and Frisellino. The old fisherman Mastriccio reveals the truth: his foster-daughter Eurilda is the real princess. Lindoro marries Eurilda, and the brothers reconcile with their fiancées.
Cultural significance
Goldoni's libretto had already been set by Ferdinando Bertoni (Venice, 1751) and Niccolò Piccinni (Rome, 1766); Haydn's setting is among the few of his comic operas from the Eszterháza years to survive complete.