 Arminda's betrothed, Count Belfiore, arrives and is swept off his feet by her beauty ("Che beltà").Arminda is quick to let him know that she is someone to be reckoned with ("Si promette facilmente"), but the Count is not deterred.The Count then boasts of his deeds and ancestry to the Podestà, tracing his family tree to Scipio, Cato and Marcus Aurelius ("Da Scirocco").