La donna del lago to Naples in early June with no projects in the offing, except to become involved with overseeing a new production of his "La gazza ladra" there. Also, a commission from Milan's La Scala for an opera, which would become "Bianca e Falliero", had been offered and was planned for December of that year. Suddenly, the Italian composer Gaspare Spontini withdrew from a commitment to write two operas for the Naples house that season, thus leaving a huge gap. Rossini was quickly asked to write an opera for a September premiere; rather than use an existing libretto, the house insisted upon
Santa Maria la Scala are a number of paintings from the school of Solimena. Next to the sacristy is an altarpiece depicting "St Matthew" by Antonio Pascucci. The canvases in the second and third chapels on the right, depicting Madonnas with "Saints Francis and John the Baptist", and with "Saints Anthony and Phillip" were painted by Nicola de Mattheis. The third chapel also has a canvas depicting the "Resurrection" by Paolillo, a pupil of Andrea di Salerno. The first chapel on the right has a St Anthony by the school of Massimo Stanzione. Santa Maria la Scala Santa Maria la Scala is a Baroque