Most well known for being the backdrop of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Verona is an idyllic city situated in the province of Veneto in Northern Italy. Although the existence of Romeo and Juliet is still debated, the names of their families, in Italian the Montecchi and the Cappelletti , belonged to real aristocratic families from Verona.
The major tourist attraction is the supposed Casa di Giulietta. There one can find a small courtyard filled with tourists craning their necks to see a make-believe version of Juliet’s balcony. The walls are crammed with love notes and pleas for advice appealing to the ill-fated Juliet.
One such supplication reads: “Siamo una cosa sola da Dio creati per amore, per amarci per sempre. Che l’amore possa accompagnarci per il resto della nostra vita. -Luca e Serena” (We are a single thing created by God for love, to love each other forever. That love can accompany us for the rest of our life. -Luca and Serena.”)
To add to the romantic atmosphere of the experience, my friends and I got to witness a proposal take place on the balcony itself. The crowd below erupted into cheers as the couple attested to their love with a kiss. Even the greatest skeptic would be enraptured by the sweetness of it all. However, I’m not sure how good of an omen the doomed story of Romeo and Juliet is for a prospective marriage. Nevertheless, making the pilgrimage to Juliet’s house is a must-do when in Verona.
Verona seemed a bit more tranquil to me than Florence, and it was easy to wind up walking on scenic streets with very few people in sight. My favorite part of the day-trip, other than the giant whale bone hanging in the main market, was looking out on the river that runs through Verona and the countryside in the distance. Everything looked liked a delicate painting, whose dreamy romanticism matched the feeling of the city as a whole.
-Kate
