He was born in Genoa on 31/01/1788 to a wealthy family. He began studying law in Pisa and then studied literature at the University of Genoa. As a librettist, he made his debut in Genoa in 1813 with the two-act opera La rosa bianca e la rosa rossa by Johann Simon Mayr, with whom he collaborated again on the opera Medea in Corinto. The success of these two works resulted in his appointment as the librettist for La Scala. Collaborations followed with the most prominent Italian composers of the time, such as Gioachino Rossini, Saverio Mercadante, Giuseppe Verdi, but notably with Vincenzo Bellini and Gaetano Donizetti. He was distinguished for the lyricism of his librettos and was closely associated with the neoclassical movement, drawing inspiration from romantic writers such as Eugène Scribe, Victor Hugo and Walter Scott. In 1834 he was appointed director of the Gazzetta Ufficiale Piemontese, the official newspaper of Piedmont, to which he focused on literary criticism. He wrote numerous short stories and poems, while at the same time worked on adaptations and translations of 18th and 19th century texts in Italian. He died on 28/01/1865 in Moneglia, at the age of 76. // Last update of the biography: February 2026. The list of productions below is continually updated.