Casa di Giulietta: Juliet’s House in Verona

Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet” maybe a work of fiction, but that hasn’t stopped hundreds of thousands of romantics from making pilgrimage to Verona to see the balcony where Juliet supposedly stood while Romeo declared his love.

This so called Casa di Giulietta, or Juliet’s House, actually belonged to the dell Capello family. The house dates from the 13th century and the family coat of arms can still be seen on the wall. The house was in a state of abandon and was overgrown with creepers when the city bought it in the early 1900s, and decided to turn it into Juliet’s House taking advantage of the similarity between the names of the house’s true owner —Capello— and the Capulets in Shakespeare’s play.

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Photo credit: whereisemil/Flickr

A massive restoration effort was made in the 1930s, where windows and gothic doors were added. Even the iconic balcony is rumored to be a late addition. The spartan interior was restored much later, in the 1990s. Authentic period ceramics, paintings and furniture that belonged neither to the Capello nor the fictional Capulets family are on display. In the courtyard is a bronze statue of Juliet whose right breast shines brighter than the rest of her —the result of decades of groping. This peculiar tradition is said to bring good luck to the groper.

All over the walls and doors in the courtyard are numerous graffiti and stuck love notes, but authorities are cracking down on the vandals in recent years.

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