 Donizetti was not given the opportunity to compose again for La Scala until writing "Ugo, conte di Parigi" nearly a decade later.The commission for "Chiara e Serafina" came about not long after the successful premiere of the "farsa" "La lettera anonima" in Naples.Upon requesting the new work, La Scala paired Donizetti with Felice Romani, the foremost librettist then working in Italy, but an individual who was notorious for failing to deliver his work on time.