Traviata, La, is a tragic opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (see Verdi, Giuseppe). Its title means The wayward woman. The libretto (text), in Italian, was written by Francesco Maria Piave, who took as his source the novel and play La dame aux Camelias (The Lady of the Camellias) by the French author Alexandre Dumas, fils (see Dumas, Alexandre, fils). The opera was first performed at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy, on March 6, 1853.