I due Foscari (The Two Foscaris) is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on a historical play, The Two Foscari by Lord Byron.As a subject, Verdi had been considering the Byron play as early as 1843, but, when it was offered to La Fenice in Venice, it was deemed to be unsuitable due to the fact that parts of it criticized the actions of the Venetian Republic, which included surviving members of the the Foscari family.