The opera is set on the annual day when two faithful lovers must be sacrificed to a sea monster to appease Diana, the goddess of chastity and hunting. The townspeople of Cumae offer their gifts hoping to placate her. La Fedeltá Premiata premiered in 1781 to celebrate the re-opening of the Esterháza opera house after a fire. The music effortlessly narrates the work spanning opera seria and buffa based on a pastoral tale of love, sacrifice and a sea monster.