Which epic poem was dido and Aeneas based on?

The opera *Dido and Aeneas* is based on the story of Aeneas and Dido from Virgil's epic poem *The Aeneid*.

While the opera takes some liberties with the original story, it closely follows the basic narrative of Aeneas, a Trojan hero, fleeing the destruction of Troy and landing in Carthage. He falls in love with Dido, the queen of Carthage, but is ultimately called by the gods to continue his journey to Italy to found a new Roman Empire.