It tells the story of Teresina, a young Italian girl who falls in love with Gennaro, a fisherman, and culminates in the marriage of the lovers.

When Gennaro arrives back at port, he and Teresina go to find Veronica and try to convince her that they should wed. Luckily for them, this task proves relatively easy once she sees how true the young couple's love is.

Bournonville asked Hans Christian Lumbye, later to become the famous Tivoli Gardens composer, to provide the music for the concluding galop that follows Paulli's tarantella.

Bournonville recounts in his memoirs how, during a monotonous carriage journey, he spent hours humming what became the first three sections of the tarantella in Act III.

The ballet was choreographed after Bournonville had visited Naples (it: Napoli), where he had been impressed by the local colour and the vibrancy of a city in constant movement.

[1] He strove to include the "brightness and dynamism" of the city in the work, ending the final act with a lively tarantella.

[2] However, the piece has also been praised for its "local colour," the exceptional male solos, and is sometimes referred to as Bournonville's "signature work.