How did comic opera develop in Italy during the 18th century?

In 18th-century Italy, comic opera—known as opera buffa—developed primarily from intermezzi, which were short, lighthearted musical entertainments performed between the acts of serious operas (opera seria).123

As the Neoclassical movement sought to purge comic scenes and characters from serious opera, the comic spirit found refuge in these independent intermezzi. A pivotal moment in this evolution was the success of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s La serva padrona (1733), which demonstrated the potential for comic opera to exist as a standalone genre.4315

Unlike the rigid conventions of opera seria, opera buffa became a hub for innovation. It focused on realistic situations involving ordinary people and stock characters derived from commedia dell’arte. As the genre matured, it developed its own distinct features, such as the long, formally organized finale involving all principal characters, and eventually incorporated more earnest emotional qualities, leading to sophisticated hybrid works by composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Domenico Cimarosa.31