A tendency to conceive ambitious projects, only to quickly abandon them, became a feature of Bizet's Rome years; in addition to Carmen Saeculare, he considered and discarded at least five opera projects, two attempts at a symphony, and a symphonic ode on the theme of Ulysses and Circe.
A tendencia de concibir proxectos ambiciosos, só para abandonalos rapidamente, converteuse en algo habitual en Bizet durante os seus anos en Roma; ademais do proxecto Carmen Saeculare, tivo en conta ata cinco proxectos de óperas que finalmente descartou, dous intentos de sinfonía e unha oda sinfónica sobre un tema de Ulises e Circe.