He is chiefly known for having written the draft of the libretto of the opera Don Pasquale for its composer Gaetano Donizetti.

Ruffini had been condemned to death as an enemy of the state and was living in exile in Paris in 1842 when it was suggested to him by Jules Janin (newly appointed director of Théâtre-Italien) that he might offer his services to Donizetti as a librettist .

Donizetti told him exactly what he required for his latest opera project, Don Pasquale, but not that he intended to re-use music already written for other purposes.

Although Ruffini refused acknowledgement of his work for the libretto, Donizetti paid him 500 francs, which was competitive for both the length and the genre at the time.

A European version of Victorian fiction : the novels of Giovanni Ruffini, Amsterdam : Rodopi Woodhouse, J.R. (1998), [Review of] A European Version of Victorian Fiction: The Novels of Giovanni Ruffini, in The Modern Language Review, July [1] Sources