RUSTIC CHIVALRY One-act opera, on a libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, based on the eponymous drama by Givanni Verga Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni is a one-act opera that premiered on 17 May 1890 at the Burgtheater in Vienna. Adapted from a play by Giovanni Verga, the opera is set on an Easter morning in 19th century Sicily. A sad and restless girl, Santuzza, searches for her lover ...