global nomad family

Juliet’s Balcony.

Verona’s “claim to fame” for attracting tourists is being the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Now that I’ve experienced Verona for myself, I find it tragic that most tourists “do” Verona in a few hours, rushing in to take photos at Juliet’s balcony and then moving on to the next city!!  Verona really surprised me with how incredibly beautiful the city is, and how much there is to see and do here.  Before I tell you more, here are our own tacky tourist photos of Juliet’s House.

Check out this stern warning!!

Look at the background behind us. What is it?

Although the house is  a major destination for tourists, it actually has no connection with Shakespeare’s characters….who were fictional and therefore never existed:)

Love messages, written on top of chewing gum shaped into hearts…yeesh!

The house itself is old, but the balcony was added in 1936.  The house was named Casa Guilietta (Juliet’s House) to attract tourists.

Couples add these locks as a symbol of their undying love…

The balcony overlooks a small courtyard with a statue of Juliet. There is a huge amount of “love graffiti”. Visitors leave notes, as well as write their initials and those of their loved one in chewing gum… which they stick on the walls of the courtyard…risking a year’s imprisonment or a hefty 1039 Euro fine!

More love graffiti…

We asked our host if it was worth it to see the inside of Juliet’s House, and he told us that most people in Verona are annoyed by the “hype” of Juliet, the congestion of tourists near the “shrine”, and the fact that until recently, an employee was paid to answer love letters to Juliet from lovesick people from around the world. So we took his advice, and didn’t go inside.

Here’s what our son thinks of all the lovey dovey stuff!!

Apparently, if you pay the 6 Euro entry fee you will see a small collection of Renaissance frescos, and the bed from Zeffirelli’s 1968 movie, but not much more. We spent the money on gelato ice cream instead…a much better choice in Nate’s book!!

This was so interesting Nate gave them a coin!

Ok, now we’re done with the annoying typical tourist stuff.  Come see the real Verona with us!

Pizza del Erbe. Look for the close up in the next photo.

Verona was once one of the most powerful cities during the Roman Empire. The historic center is amazingly well preserved, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Beautiful balcony!

This is the Lion of St. Mark, symbol of Venice.

Fun souvenirs!

This lead to another lovely square.

Verona was the home of Dante Alighieri, writer of the Divine Comedy. You can read more about Dante’s tumultuous life here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri

That’s Dante!

Verona was also the setting for two more of Shakespeare’s works: The Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Taming the Shrew.

Nice place for a meal!

The scenic mausoleum of Arche Scaligere houses outdoor tombs of the Scaligeri lords who ruled Verona for hundreds of years.

Arch of Scaglieri

The architecture is stunning!

So, for those of you following along with us, this was Day Six of our European road trip.  I hope you enjoyed learning about Verona.  Coming soon will be posts about seeing an opera in Verona’s Arena, built in the 1st Century BC, as well as our trip to Venice.