 The period between "La gazza ladra" (1817) and "Semiramide" (1823) was marked by the production of twelve operas of little significance, with the exception of "La donna del lago".After being obliged to leave Pesaro hurriedly in May 1819 (it turned out to be his last visit there), Rossini returned to Naples in early June with no projects in the offing, except to become involved with overseeing a new production of his "La gazza ladra" there.Also, a commission from Milan's La Scala for an opera, which would become "Bianca e Falliero", had been offered and was planned for December of that year.