News from Italy
In the Footsteps of Love in Verona: Juliet’s House
by Isabella Laiden
If the air is filled with the winds of love, then let us take you to the place that has come to symbolise the greatest love of all: Juliet’s House.
Located in northern Italy, in the city of Verona, this house is known worldwide as the setting of one of the most famous stories ever told: Romeo and Juliet.
Crossing its threshold feels like stepping into a space where reality and myth intertwine. Hidden among stone-paved streets, this house is not merely a building. It is the earthly echo of a legendary love. From the very first moment one arrives in Verona, there is a sense of slipping into a time tunnel. Ancient footsteps linger in the streets, history drifts through the squares, and on people’s faces rests a quiet serenity, as if they proudly carry the legacy of centuries-old romance.
Founded in the 1st century BC along the banks of the Adige River, Verona is now under UNESCO protection. Many great spirits, including Dante, once breathed its air. Though the city flourished during the Venetian Republic, what made it eternal was another fate altogether:
The pen of Shakespeare: The journey of a story that travelled the world
While Romeo and Juliet became immortal on Shakespeare’s stage, the seeds of the story were sown earlier. In 1531, the nobleman Luigi da Porto from Vicenza, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, committed this tragic love story to paper.
The tale spread throughout Verona, passed from mouth to mouth, was adapted, reshaped, and reborn. It travelled to France, reached England, and ultimately became a legend in Shakespeare’s hands. When it premiered in 1594, it was no longer just Verona’s story; it belonged to the world.
Juliet’s House: a place of ritual
Today, Juliet’s House stands as Verona’s most powerful symbol.
The moment one steps into the courtyard, even the murmur of the crowd sounds like a prayer. Everyone is searching for the same things: to step onto a balcony; to leave a wish on a wall; to touch a statue; and perhaps to come a little closer to love itself.
That famous balcony…
where Romeo waits in the darkness of night, and Juliet whispers into the sky. It feels as though the stone walls are still telling their story.
Walls covered with hearts.
Angela whispers, “There’s something warm embracing me… Can you feel it too?”
Andira smiles, “Yes… It must be the energy of love. Even the name is enough.”
The walls are covered in notes.
Big hopes folded into tiny pieces of paper.
One stranger’s love prayer, another’s broken heart.
And then there is Juliet’s statue.
According to legend, touching her right breast is believed to bring good luck and attract true love.
The line stretches on, but within the crowd, there is a single shared language: romanticism.
We touch the statue too. Because sometimes people cling even to what they do not truly believe in, simply for the sake of hope.
Reality or fairy tale?
Let us be honest: Juliet never lived.
Romeo never existed. Shakespeare never visited Verona.
And that famous balcony was added to the building only in the 20th century.
The city purchased the house in 1905. The similarity between the names Capello and Capuleti made it easy to present it as “Juliet’s House.”
So why do millions of people still come here?
Because love is stronger than facts.
Because hope is the last thing to die.
A story can transform even the stones of a city. Humanity’s shared dream can turn an ordinary courtyard into a sacred place.
Juliet’s House is precisely that: part fairy tale; part humanity’s oldest desire… to be loved, to keep hoping.
Writing a letter to Juliet
You don’t have to travel to Verona to write a letter to Juliet.
Through www.julietclub.com, you can send her your words.
Every year, Verona receives thousands of letters. Volunteers from the Juliet Club read and answer them.
Who knows…
Perhaps one day, you too will become one of love’s secretaries.