'' L'ultimo giorno di Pompei '' was the third of Pacini 's operas to premiere at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples . It was commissioned to celebrate the name day of Queen María Isabella of the Two Sicilies . The libretto itself was written by Andrea Leone Tottola . However , the basic outline of the story and the idea of setting it in Pompeii at the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD came from the Teatro San Carlo 's resident scenographer , Antonio Niccolini . Although the setting and the English translation of its title are similar to that of Bulwer-Lytton 's novel '' The Last Days of Pompeii '' , the opera predates the novel by almost 10 years and has a completely different plot
eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
L'ultimo giorno di Pompei