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Meanwhile Cinderella (Sonia Ganassi) is resigned amid her household chores (how I sympathise; nor did she have the sort of vacuum cleaner that keeps me going), singing wistfully about a king of long ago who sought not a rich or showy bride but a good one and innocent [watch and listen -- DVD1 chapter 4, 10:30-12:08]]. When the Prince of Salerno's tutor comes to the decrepit castle disguised as a beggar, the uglies will have none of him, but Cinderella goes to the pantry and gives him what she can. That's all he needs to tell the prince there is a young girl worthy of him at Don Magnifico's. The Prince Ramiro of Antonino Siragusa then arrives disguised as his valet Dandini to test the female trio [watch and listen -- DVD1 chapter 12, 35:27-36:30].

Alfonso Antoniozzi as Don Magnifico is so determined Cinderella shall not go to the ball that he claims she is dead. But of course the tutor gets her there, though not without arousing the suspicions of the uglies about the identity of the unknown woman who looks so like their sometime scivvy. They are swept off their feet by the Valet-Prince and Don Magnifico seems to have fallen on his when appointed court vintner on the strength of sampling thirty barrels without falling anywhere else. Cinderella shows perfect judgment by singing that she prefers the 'valet' when apparently relentlessly pursued by the 'prince'. There is already a happy ending in the air when Ramiro receives the bracelet from Cinderella with the injunction he must somehow find its companion if he truly loves her.

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