Written by two established screenwriters and novelists, who later transitioned to film directing, the comedy drew upon and blended elements and situations from Renaissance comedies, taking inspiration from authors like Pietro Aretino and Ruzante. Zeffirelli created an elegant set design, reminiscent of the grand tapestries of the era: numerous preparatory sketches are preserved in the Archives. At the heart of the performance was Renato Rascel, a hugely popular actor and singer in theatre, cinema and television, who would later be one of the few Italians cast in Zeffirelli’s television miniseries "Jesus of Nazareth". It is worth noting that the year before, Francesco Rosi, with whom Zeffirelli had shared his first experiences in cinema as Visconti’s assistant, directed "Once Upon a Time", a film based on the tales from "Lo cunto de li cunti" by Giovan Battista Basile.