Since the opera was written for a specific occasion, with a plot about European aristocrats, officers - and one poetess - en route to join in the French coronation festivities that the opera itself was composed for, Rossini never intended it to have a life beyond a few performances in Paris.
Da operaen var skrevet til en bestemt lejlighed og fortalte historien om netop en række europæiske aristokrater og officerer – og en digterinde – der var på vej for at deltage i de franske kroningsfestligheder, havde Rossini aldrig tænkt, at den skulle få et liv ud over de få forestillinger i Paris.