Outside the USA, Ponselle sang only at Covent Garden in London (for three seasons) and in Italy (in order, so she said, to honor a promise she had made to her mother that she would one day sing in Italy). In 1929, Ponselle made her European debut in London, at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. Up until that time, her career had been concentrated entirely in America. Ponselle sang two roles at Covent Garden in 1929: Norma and Gioconda. She had great success and was tumultuously acclaimed by the normally staid London audiences. She returned to London in 1930 in "Norma", "L'amore dei tre re", and "La traviata" (her first performances as Violetta). In her final London season in 1931, she sang in "La forza del destino", "Fedra" (an opera by her coach and long-time friend, Romano Romani), and a reprise of "La traviata".