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The Casa di Giulieta (House of Juliet)
.Statue of Juliet
Romeo and Juliet may or may not have actually existed but it has attracted tourists and lovers from all over the world. The story of Romeo & Juliet were repeated endless everyday to the curious tourists. Juliet's house is very near to Piazza Erbe. Build in the 13th century. A massive restoration were made in 1920s including adding of the balcony. It was once owned by the Dal Cappello or Capulet family. No entrance fee to be in the Courtyard. But there is a fee for entering Juliet's house - 7 euro. Romeo's house was not open to public previously but it has now been converted into a restaurant called "Osteria Dal Duca" (
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.Photos:
Interior of Juliet's house >
.Juliet's tomb.
Romeo and Juliet is a tear-jerking tragic love story in which Romeo; a member of the Montague falls in love with Juliet a Capulet, two great sworn enemies. The feud between two of the most powerful aristocratic families in Verona. The two great opposing enemies' start a quarrel in the middle of the busy streets and the Prince of Verona orders it to stop, and old Capulet, to show his good faith, agrees that his daughter; Juliet can marry the Prince's nephew; Paris, so lord Capulet arranges a masked ball (party) to celebrate the engagement. Romeo, the only child of the Montague was persuaded to go to the party to make Benvolio, his dearest cousin contented, also Romeo's witty friend, Mercutio also accompanied them. Here he meets the lovely Juliet and for the two it is love at first site. They meet again that night, in Capulet's household, in other words in the garden which adjoins the house.
The two lovers swear eternal love, but aware of the feud between their families know they must keep their affection to each other secret. But as fate would have it, during a fight Tebaldo Capuleti, Juliet's cousin, kills Mercutio, Romeo's best friend, who accepted the duel on Romeo's behalf, to save his honour. At this point Romeo in retaliation kills the Capulet and is permanently exiled from Verona. Desperate, he recounted everything to his beloved Juliet, and the two decided to go married immediatelly in secret. Fra Lorenzo, a monk, aiding and abetting them, marries them in the hopes that this union will make peace between the warring families. That night Romeo entered the Capulets' courtyard, climbed up the balcony and spent the night with Juliet.
In the morning, however, he had to leave for exile in Mantua. After a while; Juliet's parents decided she had to marry Count Paris. She tried to refuse or postpone the marriage, but in that period it was the parents' decision and that was that. She went to the friar to ask for advise and he gave her a herbal infusion that will make her appear as if she were dead for forthy-two hours. In the meantime the monk was to go to Romeo, who was to come back and rescue her, so that they could elope but the monk didn't reach Romeo. Juliet accepts, but unfortunally Romeo is not notified of the friar having arrived at the gates of Mantua, he found the gates closed, there had been cases of plague in the Padana plain, and the people in Mantua were were afraid of the illness, so nobody was allowed to enter the city. W. Shakespeare's original book print was in 1599
Romeo when he heard that his beloved Juliet was dead and so desperate, he got on his horse, rode to Verona and went to the Capulets' crypt where she is really lying apparently dead. Here he meets Count Paris, mourning the girl who was to have been his bride. Romeo tries in vain to avoid an absurd shedding of blood, but Paris challenges Romeo with drown sword, and he, forced to defend himself, mortally wounds him. Than, embracing Juliet for the last time, he drinks poison. When Juliet awake, she found Romeo dead beside her, and she too decided she didn't want to live without him: she took his dagger and killed herself. She was fourteen and he was sixteen and the story is a true story, at least in its main lines.
Death thus restores to the two young people the dignity of the love that had been denied them by their rivaling families, who, faced with the tragedy, find the courage to make peace.
- Story taken from "Illustrated Guide of Verona" and "Verona - New practical guide"
.Plaque commemorating Juliet at Casa di Giulietta, Verona.
"Without Shakespeare we would have no Hollywood, no dramatic endings, no tragic love stories, no big screen epics. Here's to the Bard who started it all, and to the stories that are as timeless & relevant today as they were the day they were written." (
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.Austrian village in the Alps
