In his "Autobiography", Zeffirelli recounts:
“In the summer of 1946, a cousin of my mother, Ines Alfani Tellini—who had been a famous soprano and was now teaching at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena—asked me to design the set for the academy’s annual recital: Livietta e Tracollo by Pergolesi. That was my baptism on stage, but above all, it was my definite discovery of the greatness of this art, which encompasses all others — the little meadow of Olympus where all the Muses get together joining hands.”
Besides the two singers who play the lead roles, the opera foresees two other characters, who do not sing: one of them was played by Zeffirelli himself.

Zeffirelli's collaboration with Ines Alfani Tellini and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana continued for several years. Between 1946 and 1952, alongside his work with Luchino Visconti, Zeffirelli designed the sets for seven productions, which served as the prelude to his debut as an opera set and costume designer at Teatro alla Scala in 1953.