Description of the attraction
Juliet's House is perhaps the most visited attraction in Verona, which thousands of lovers from all over the world seek to see. This small house was built in the 13th century and, thanks to the great genius of William Shakespeare, has been considered the home of the legendary Juliet for centuries.
Once this building, located near Piazza Erbe, belonged to the Dal Cappello family, which became the prototype of the Capulet family. Their coat of arms in the form of a marble hat can still be seen today on the arch leading to the courtyard. In the second half of the 17th century, the house was sold, and since then has changed owners several times, until in 1907 it was acquired by the City Council of Verona to organize a museum. By that time, the house was almost completely dilapidated and required significant repair and restoration work. However, the municipality could not find money for this for a long time, and only after the release of George Cukor's famous film Romeo and Juliet in 1936, active work began to turn the house into a tourist attraction.
In keeping with Shakespeare's play, Juliet's House was given a romantic look: the brick façade was decorated with Gothic elements, the windows were framed appropriately, and even some of the buildings overlooking the courtyard were reconstructed. The courtyard itself, with Juliet's legendary balcony, was also rebuilt to resemble the courtyard from Cukor's film - a battlement and a column under the balcony appeared. Later, lines from Shakespeare's tragedy were placed on this wall. And in 1972, a bronze statue of Juliet was installed here, which is always popular with tourists. It is believed that touching her right breast will bring good luck in love.
Restoration work was also carried out in the 1970s and 1990s. During the latter, the atmosphere of the 14th century was recreated in the house with the help of appropriate ornaments and frescoes. Finally, in 1997, a museum was inaugurated in Juliet's House. Today, you can see works of art created on the theme of Romeo and Juliet, photographs from a film by Cukor and a collection of objects from a 1968 painting by Franco Zeffirelli - two costumes, a marriage bed and sketches. Numerous tourists leave declarations of love on the walls of the arch leading to the courtyard from the street.
By the way, in Verona there is also the so-called House of Romeo - this is an old 14th century mansion that belonged to the Nogarola family. It has Gothic features and is surrounded by a battlement. Unfortunately, this is a private property and access is denied. All offers of the city municipality to purchase the house and turn it into a museum were rejected by the owners.
