The article describes the genesis of the ballet Rappresentazione d'Adamo ed Eva written by Nino Rota for the choreography by Aurél M. Milloss and first performed in the 1957 Sagra Musicale Umbra directed by Francesco Siciliani.It is based on musical and archival documents preserved primarily at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini (Istituto per la Musica and Centro Studi sul Teatro e il Melodramma) and reconstructs the steps of the creative process, trying to give an account of the responsibilities of the two artists.