Puccini's Opera 'Manon Lescaut' is based on the 1731 novel 'L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut' by the Abbé Prévost. One of the most beautiful and famous arias in the opera repertoire is 'Donna non vidi mai' (Never before have I seen such a beautiful young woman). It is sung by Renato des Grieux in the first act of the opera: Des Grieux has fallen head over heels in love with the gorgeous Manon Lescaut.