Verona, Shakespeare, and me

It was the summer of 2010. I was scrolling through the movies list on my laptop when I stopped on one name, 'Letters to Juliet'; the name itself was so intriguing I started playing the movie. In one of the scenes, Amanda Seyfried is sitting on a bench in front of Juliet's house. It showed around the place with its beautiful patio glistening in the golden sunlight, the statue of Juliet looking on, and the legendary balcony (do see the movie if you haven't). By the time the scene was over, my mind had been made to visit the house of Juliet one day.

Present-day, I am standing at the very spot, below the house of Juliet, looking up and waiting for her to step out in her legendary balcony!

I am in Verona, the town of Romeo and Juliet, the place where it all began and where it shall always do.

Casa di Giulietta

It might not have been the merriest Monday morning, but it was for me. Because the crowd was back to work, and I was at the house of Juliet first thing after breakfast. It was not any ordinary moment to finally see the day dawn with me entering through the gates. A short tunnel leads you into a square patio or quadrangle. The tunnel is now covered with colored graffiti of people's names and doodles made by the helpless romantics and incandescent lovers. The attempt to eternalize their love like Juliet and Romeo, with every color of marker they could get their hands on, was regardlessly made of the fact if it lasted or not. Over the years, the writings turned to rewritings to overwriting that when you look at it today, its symbolism runs deeper than modern art and it beyond decipherability.

As I walked into the patio, I was greeted by a small crowd looking upwards at the balcony, a solemn statue of Juliet standing gracefully close to the main door and observing the everyday touristy routine and the unforgettably fresh morning air. On my left, the souvenir shop occupied the corner, selling all kinds of gifts, souvenirs, and artifacts of Juliet. On the entrance's opposite and behind Juliet's statue, a short wall stood with arched doors and locked gates completing the square's design. To the right of the entrance is where the famous house of Juliet stands with her very own balcony designed as per every girl's secret desire and to where all the heads had turned skywards. I scanned the square and noticed that the visitors were mostly women. The only male company visible was their respective boyfriends, possibly there as chaperones for their Juliets. I wondered if that was supposed to be unusual or utterly normal to expect?

While the majority lot was busy rummaging through the souvenirs, the remainders were either staring up towards the balcony and taking selfies or clicking photos with Juliet's statue. One of the particular rituals I noticed was the stroking of Juliet's right breast. It was later that I found out, people did it for good luck in love. No matter how obscure that information sounded, I was undoubtedly impressed with people's creativity to summon good luck into their lives.

William Shakespeare’s bust placed at the entrance.

House of Juliet

Although the house is a result of fiction, the attention given to the details while designing it is stirring. The house is styled in the 1300s Gothic architecture. Once the patio's view was thoroughly savored by my peripatetic mind and by my camera's memory, I stepped into the house (also a museum). The entryway was also the visitor center of the house. It was an L-shaped room with a staircase on the left and multiple shelves selling their own share of souvenirs. The furnishings were all in wood as per the historical placement. Besides the wooden staircase, another statue of Juliet and her creator, Shakespeare's metallic bust, welcomed their guests. Of course, there was a fee to explore the entire house. Thanks to student ID, I got a concession, and I dashed upstairs to explore the residence.

The tour of the house took me from the living room, dining hall, her bed chambers, her apparel and accessories on display, textiles, periodic decor, furnishings, and all those things that would have been used by Juliet. Though the house and everything in it are fictional, it was impossible to shake the idea that Juliet must have lived here many years ago. Writing letters to Juliet still goes on, and many letters are still stuck on the wall of the house. But a new digital addition has been made where kiosks are installed inside the house; if the world can move on, why not Juliet?

Now coming to the star feature of this residence, the prominent balcony. The view from the balcony is worth the ticket I bought at the entrance, you have to take my word for it. As I stood there and gazed around, I could see so many Juliets, standing down in the square and looking up at the balcony with hope twinkling in their eyes. I realized the significance of Juliet's presence and her role in love. There was a Juliet in each one of us, and maybe, sometimes, we might just hear her in our ears, whispering the magic of motivation, to risk our hearts in the matter of love, inspiring and nudging us to live our share of romance and passion.

My tour came to an end, and I stepped out to find the visitors doubling in size since I first entered. Spending a few minutes to say by and taking a promise to be back soon, I picked up my bag and exited through the tunnel onto the street to join the bulky procession of tourists.

Before my trip to the house, it was only a matter of intrigue to me. But that changed when I stepped into the square. The magic that Shakespeare so elegantly has managed to spread through decades of love stories is exceptionally magical. I could feel the power of love flowing from one person to another who was there and living Romeo and Juliet all over again. The journey that Juliet has taken, becoming the confidant of every woman visiting her to share her heartbreaking stories and their never tell a soul secret, is phenomenal. It gives me a soothing kind of comfort to know that there is someone and that the hope still lives on.

If you are wondering about Romeo's house, I did too!

I mean, if Romeo doesn't exist, the story would be incomplete, and surely boys need their own comrade, right? So, I opened up the maps again and searched for the house of Romeo. What luck! It was marked at a distance of few lanes from Juliet's. It would have been unacceptable to not complete my visitation love story either. Therefore, I started the directions, and the next thing, I was looking at the house of Romeo. It took me around 15 minutes back and forth from the place to realize that it was a bar! Yes, a bar. And a medium-sized board to announce that Mr. Romeo lived here fictionally. It was disheartening to see the absence of an actual house. Now, where will the boys facing a love-life crisis go? Paying my sincere condolences to all the boys who wished for Romeo's help, I took to the streets once again.