▁a ▁cons ort ium ▁of ▁mer ch ants ▁and ▁se amen ▁from ▁Gen oa . ▁It ▁was ▁torn ▁down ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 7 th ▁century ▁and ▁replaced ▁by ▁the ▁church ▁San ▁Giorg io ▁dei ▁Gen ov esi , ▁built ▁to ▁serve ▁the ▁considerable ▁Gen ov ese ▁population ▁in ▁Nap les ▁at ▁the ▁time . ▁For ▁many ▁years , ▁however , ▁the ▁church ▁was ▁called ▁" San ▁Giorg o ▁alla ▁Comm edia ▁Vec chia ", ▁thus ▁recall ing ▁its ▁orig ins . ▁ ▁Teatro ▁dei ▁F ior ent ini ▁ ▁Bu ilt ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁de cade ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century , ▁the ▁Teatro ▁dei ▁F ior ent ini ▁was ▁meant ▁to ▁replace ▁the ▁def unct ▁Comm edia ▁theatre . ▁It ▁took ▁the ▁name ▁from ▁the ▁nearby ▁church ▁of ▁San ▁Giovanni ▁dei ▁F ior ent ini . ▁It ▁se ated ▁approximately ▁ 2 5 0 ▁people . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁the ▁theatre ▁special ised ▁in ▁the ▁opera ▁buff a ▁genre . ▁Antonio ▁O ref ice ' s ▁Pat r ò ▁Cal ien no ▁de ▁la ▁Costa ▁which ▁premier ed ▁there ▁in ▁ 1 7 0 9 ▁ ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁opera ▁buff a ▁in ▁Ne ap ol itan ▁dialect ▁to ▁be ▁performed ▁on ▁a ▁public ▁stage . ▁From ▁ 1 7 2 4 , ▁the ▁theatre ' s ▁main ▁compet itor ▁in ▁the ▁opera ▁buff a ▁genre ▁was ▁the ▁much ▁larger ▁Teatro ▁Nu ovo . ▁Nevertheless , ▁the ▁F ior ent ini ▁surv ived ▁as