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A visit to Verona is not complete until you visit the place immortalized in William Shakespeare’s tragic romance, Romeo and Juliet.
Well…
While tourists flock to the place labeled, “Juliet’s House”, pose with Juliet’s statue and stand on the balcony that they envision her to have used while declaring her love for Romeo, many forget that Romeo and Juliet only ever existed on the pages of some very well known literature.
Shakespeare’s fateful love story, first published in 1597, was preceded by Arthur Brooke’s poem, The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet, (1562), which in turn was inspired by older Italian writers, including Luigi de Porto and Matteo Bandello, who told the story of Romeo and Giuletta and the feud between their families. But, so enthralled by the literary tales, centuries of readers took to heart the story, some forgetting that it wasn’t actually based on real characters.
Seventy years ago, Antonio Avena, the director of the city’s museums, wanted to capitalize on that misunderstanding. He transformed the 13th century property of the Dal Cappello family into the home of the imaginary Juliet, after the house was purchased by the City of Verona. The idea was to give a physical location to the fictional story and a boost to Verona’s tourist industry. Extensive restoration of the home was eventually completed with a balcony, similar to that described in Shakespeare’s tale, added in the 20th century.
When tourists learned of this location and subsequently, the name of the original owners, the Cappellos, more commonly known as the Cappellettis, the natural progression was to associate that name with the last name of their heroine, Capuleti, leading them to believe that this really had been Juliet’s house. Flocking to the house in droves, they hoped to feel the emotions of Juliet and see the place that she called home.
As a visitor to Verona, while there was so much to see and do, I did make it a point to visit Juliet’s House since it is such a popular attraction. Approaching the courtyard through the entranceway, I was greeted by a large crowd gathered under the balcony and surrounding a statue of Juliet, by sculptor Nereo Costantini. Many people were awaiting their turn to pose with and rub their hand over the statue’s right breast…a gesture which is supposed to bring love and fertility. It is not known why this custom started, but in order to preserve the original, the courtyard statue was moved into the museum for safekeeping and replaced with a copy.
Paying my entrance fee, I made my way through the museum space, both upstairs and down. Of course I took my turn on the balcony, posing for a photograph and spotted the original statue of Juliet, protected and well away from prying hands.
The house has been restored and appointed much as it would have appeared during the time period in which the Dal Cappellos resided there, though there is no evidence of anything in the house that belonged to the family. There are, however, many references to the Romeo and Juliet story…a bust of William Shakespeare, copies of the story, Renaissance-era costumes and the actual bed used in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaptation of the story. The rest of the furnishings and furniture are all genuine antiques from the 16th and 17th century.
After my tour of the house was complete, I stepped back into the courtyard and noticed the red post box. Tourists used to leave letters tucked into the wall or stuck onto the bricks with chewing gum below the balcony, however, this practice was discouraged and the use of the box promoted. A movie I once viewed, Letters to Juliet, detailed an American tourist who finds an unanswered love letter shoved among the bricks. The story details the search for the intended recipient and the love story that results from it! These letters and those received from the mail do not go unanswered, however. Much like in the movie, a group of volunteers known as Club di Giulietta (the Juliet Club), replies to the more than 10,000 letters received annually, signing the responses, Juliet’s Secretary. Noticing through the small clear window on the front of the box, many letters that had already accumulated, I was glad to see that the tradition still continues.
With a quick glance around the museum’s gift shop, I found myself at the end of my tour. Stepping out of the gift shop with the intent to continue my day in Verona, I stopped and quickly stepped back inside. After a bit of searching, I purchased a pen and some paper, deciding that one day, I will use it to write a love letter to my own “Romeo”.
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Juliet’s House
- https://www.italy-museum.com/venice/juliet-house
- Address: Via Cappello, 23, 37121, Verona, Italy
- Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays, 0900-1800. Mondays, 1330-1800.
- Admission: Adults, €11,60, Children (ages 8-14), €2,10, Children (under 8 years), €1,00