inventing itself. but only a few can enjoy the benefits for those the regime allows. kim jong un has introduced an insidious reward system to coerce allegiance to the regime. those who don't make it into the fun metropolis are often poor and hungry. have fun n.p.r. news starts feb 28th on d. w. . her own up in northern italy. the city of love couples from all over the world block here to pledge their eternal love because verona is inextricably entwined with the tragic tale of the star crossed lovers romeo and juliet a lot more than 400 years after their story was written their legacy lives on every

year thousands of letters are posted to shakespeare's heroine juliet and their authors get an answer love and death shakespeare's eternal themes that still resonate in verona and on how has it one morning there with their own is undoubtedly a city full of history and monuments a beautiful city full of architectural and natural wonders. but it was above all shakespeare who helped to make this city famous we saw a farmer that at that. in

giovanni heads through the city it's almost always in the service of juliet. and fair verona there's only a fine line between reality and fantasy history and legend. in this dynamic city it's easy to imagine the tragedy of romeo and juliet caught on folded any moment all over again. with their own a is simply beautiful i was born here and i've spent my whole life in verona. the corners i'm very connected to the place and actually. i think for owen is so attractive to tourists because it reflects so much from so many areas from roman times to the middle ages to the renaissance. giovanni his juliet's chief secretary. sometimes she passes by romeo's house but

generally doesn't stop because it's privately owned. today she's heading to the house of juliet casa de juliet. and it attracts thousands of visitors a day a place of pilgrimage for those who believe in or hope for love. like others with the house of juliet is the symbolic spot that gave rise to the legend whether it's a true story a legend or fiction is practically irrelevant because the legend of romeo and juliet truly lives on the ball. as does the hope of happiness. it's believed that touching the breast of juliet statue brings luck and love will to do this is one of all these rituals that are part of what we could call or collective craziness. but it's beautiful because it's about love and emotion. so

a little crazy this is ok i've been happy to for you don't. think. he's going to sleep. the crazy scenes in the house of juliet are all part of a day's work for giovanni. as is collecting juliet's mail. so somebody found that it's only come here at least once a week to empty this mailbox and it's always full interview now will never let us at the manor house without a 2nd see if anything today there aren't so many letters because the box was emptied yesterday our genomes munchen and the fear going to know what that they hated for. this is

serious business. every day the letters are answered each one by hand. the volunteers at the club to juliet or juliet club such as christine espanol are known as juliet's secretaries each letter is given thoughtful consideration. like this one. that i did he did you really enjoy i'm rushing to ask you for advice a person in my life is very close to my heart but i'm not sure he's happy with me and we've been together for 4 years but our lation ship is not going anywhere it should i look for a new love or try to find happiness in this relationship maybe it's not love any more. help me or you than me to.

every day some 20 secretaries answer dozens of letters they come from all over the world. around $10000.00 letters a year are delivered to the juliet club some are addressed to simply to juliet in verona the mail carriers know where to bring them but juliet secretaries have a harder job they have to deal sensitively with the contents of the letters. and can grow more into your money this writer is still young she has her entire life ahead of her so i advise her to be patient and believe in love i'm sure true love will come to her and she will find a fiance that. is to visit with that i am not the letter that i read earlier is very long and i will have to think about it in peace and quiet. that it's not always easy. you have to think carefully about your response to being.

juliet secretaries work for free whenever they can carve out time from their daily lives. only giovanni tomasky of the club manager is almost always here. for support also comes from volunteers visiting purana from around the world who take time during their vacations to help the love lorn. you know i don't know that you have on a has been doing this for more than 30 years. she and the other secretaries share the same passion your career the winter no longer what i really believe in love. they got that i started you the story of romeo and juliet is very close to my heart . because i'm from verona. i see it as a privilege to help out at the club an absolute letters from lovers and address

their problems like a good bit of lemme. see young people waste makes me feel good. mean time to me your i feel good when i answer the letters sent to be in a quandary. and that continues after the end of their working day giovanni organizes many events reading so award ceremonies all in the name of juliet. and christina who's a university student helps out when she can. there's always a lot to discuss. especially now as they're organizing an event to award the dear juliet prizes to the best letter writers of the past year. that's in addition to her own as writing for love prize which honors the best romantic novels.

it. has devoted her career to ensuring that the story of romeo and juliet lives on. at home her daughter is waiting she's hungry though that she's had a long day at school. as they prepare supper there's time to unwind after their busy days. long. geovanni a deal so much with love at the office it's only natural that it's a topic at home as well. because i think in monaco because.

if you talk so much about emotions and love something remains. on the start when you read all these love stories from all over the world you see that ultimately love is the same all over the world. that enriches you even though your everyday life might be different. if you look at something that's a good thing. it will be in. giovanna knows that she has taken on an unusual task oh i was reading about other people's love lives and their problems affairs clandestine relationships separations it's not always easy. but it could almost be called a family tradition. and it bothered a. daughter that my father founded the club did you leave. me

when i was around 20 he started doing it on behalf of the city of toronto when i. started off as a hobby for him. but it became a passion that the whole family shared. right from the beginning it was a passion. he did in his free time to. and in some point he asked me to help him translate letters. that way. that was how the juliet club started. it since become something of a legend itself. countless helpers from around the world have volunteered their time as juliet secretaries. one of them is victoria menton. the hamburg native came to verona 6 months ago. as an au pair. since then she's

been writing she's glad the city supports the club for example with 810000 euros worth of postage stamps abuses every year. victoria also signs her answers with juliet or. i knew she was the unsureness of where with us now it's really a very nice feeling to sign a letter with juliet's name. because you know that she was a wonderful woman a strong woman who gave everything for love for this difficult love and she would die for her love and give everything. it's beautiful. yeah. well that's what it was strange to not sign my own name to write yours juliet. and you were yeah. but i got used to it and now i really really like it because all these people are writing to a good friend and they're juliet and they want to get an answer from juliet.

victoria says that many of the letters can be quickly answered with advice or encouragement but sometimes there are letters that affect her deeply and are not easy to respond to. then she consults with the other secretaries. such letters can call for a degree of psychological insight for. the elections just because they aren't going to have to be any different and i was very moved by the story of a woman who came from russia to italy for love. her she got married and then found out that this man was cheating on her and had another girlfriend or wife and even a child. these are difficult situations. it's known as i'm not very old and haven't had these kinds of experiences luckily and

hopefully never will. so all i can do is try to imagine myself in their situations. and then i answer. how often they don't even really need a solution to their problems but just a good friend who writes back and says everything will work out. romeo and juliet came from feuding families in verona that actually existed implacable enemies their feud would do and their children. 2. what's known as juliet's tomb in the monastery of san fran cesco of course has been drawing tourists for more than 2 centuries. in the region for a priest in the 1930 s. this was the tourist attraction here just to out of the cold i knew that on at the

house of julia it hadn't been renovated yet so the tourists came here. to clean the john is that there are records of illustrious visitors from as long ago as the 18th and 19th centuries like good to who mention juliet's to money his famous italian journey. or byron or dickens so do you guys all by. something that you think that she had out in the thirty's there was a custodian here at 20 soleimani who on his own initiative started collecting the letters the visitors left on the sick office. and he started answering the letters and signed them juliet secretary and i think with all. could you get the full say is that no one knows of juliet is really buried here but

the legend has been around for centuries that's a quote. these 3 women have just arrived and brought up and they're heading off to explore the town they've only just met for the 1st time one is from rome the 2nd from pisa and the 3rd is bosnian and lives in milan. they have one thing in common each wrote a letter to juliet that was singled out by the club and they're here to pick up an award barbara today is proud to be a recipient of the right of the world but you know this is my 1st visit to her own us i wrote my letter to juliet from home in the traditional way with pen and paper . you know now that i'm here in verona i'm quite excited it's funny the nice surprise of the b.b.c. was that. it was a surprise for alessandro to her letter was more of a cry for help. was somewhat unpredictable but it was a very particular moment sometimes there are things you wouldn't even tell your best friend there are other people who are close to you so. if we see that's when

writing helps you to organize your thoughts you know when you see it and writing to someone who has experienced such a beautiful the tragic love story that you feel close to this girl you know i'm going to get i've got. christine espanol o. is at home getting ready for the awards event where she's due to appear in the role of juliet. when the me for the transformation starts when i do my hair and. i made 3 braids and pin them up. just what i mean i only with this head when i'm juliet the transformation begins with the head you think of.

christina leads a double life of sorts as christina she's a normal student but she loves being juliet both as a club secretary and as the living figure juliet at the club special events. the 3 letter writers have arrived at the house of juliet and are somewhat taken aback by the attention. centered juliet when christina appears in the role everyone wants a photo with her. being in. the prize winners aren't the only ones captivated. it's marvelous it's about them but i got such a collection of attractive women that i thought finally it's the women's turn and

recently a lot of the prize winners have been men and he complained about that to me would be james. pretty last year one letter ended with the words prisoner of his spirit and what of course he was unlucky in love. me some had nothing to do. so we got the award ceremony with the prize winning letters are read aloud. to the audience listen the spellbound to the eloquent accounts of romance tragedy longing and love. juliet i am writing to you because i'm experiencing this crazy love that takes your breath away and drives you out of your mind i love to my limits and was loved in a way that can't be described in words i experience love that i've only known from novels but now this great love story is over and has left nothing behind but ruins

. the excerpts from the letter written by the sandra from rome of course there's much more in the letter. the 3 prizes and the 3 proud prize winners. home was that it was a very emotional experience a bit like being exposed in front of the audience but it was beautiful and odd that for yourself i'm proud that it was really beautiful so i'm happy that my father's brought me here and i'm proud of what i wrote. was it would just be the. lever you dear juliet juliet shares juliet carried. the letters that have been posted to verona for more than 75 years now all begin with the same words no matter what the language and he started it all with

the play published in 1597. this post of shakespeare was put up about 20 years ago it was financed by the city administration. but the idea came from the club the giulietta and my father's julio thomas you know who commissioned the very nice sculptor sergio. they wanted to thank the bard for the enormous gift he gave to the city of heroes. for the secretary's work at the club often entails dealing with visits from the media today there's a crew here from italian television. love romance longing and the realization that these peelings are universal all over the world. hate and worry from kate a stray or just

a right yes i live in london but i've wanted to do this for a couple of years so school holidays for a week and i came up or have you know letters arrive in many different languages read their authors a range in age from 14 to 70 and the secretaries always try to respond in the writer's language and as they search for the right words sometimes need to look no farther than their own experiences. and there's a md can you get more than 2 years ago i read some letters that described an unrequited love i recognized myself for most stories because back then i was in a similar situation they were more. starting to talk back then aha this girl is experiencing the same thing that i am i got. it was at once moving. yet strange to read about an experience that was also happening to me that i'm going to. look at all.

i know. i think you know it's not my fault. for several decades giovanna has devoted herself to this heartfelt work. it's generated a huge amount of publicity for ana the setting of the world's most famous love story. it continues to cast its spell on giovanni to this. day. i love that they love more of it but it's in fact their own is the city of love power excellence but the story of romeo and juliet is known everywhere. that it

considers the tourists who come here from all over the world say there's something very special about verona it's that there's a romantic atmosphere here also got there and that's all thanks to shakespeare who chose verona as the setting for romeo and juliet you've got a copy of it on a i and how has love treated her. i do you know dear i'm in a pretty complicated relationship at the moment it's hard to talk about it. 2 and a half 1000000 tourists visit verona every year. most of them associate the city

with one thing. pure romance. and sometimes a marriage proposal. she seemed to think if it was one thing if it would be. better rico had this well planned. for the mazy the quake in music i've been intending to ask her for months. some unity we know now on valentine's day we've come here to this wonderful spot with a view of the entire city. if you want us from there and today i want to propose. this what the force the appeal of let me answer. this is my

city and it's romeo and juliet are i mean this is just the most romantic city there is. romeo and juliet arguably the most famous pair of lovers at least in world literature. was their story invented or based on true events. ultimately who could say that it really matters. i have.

a. colorful. abstract. and popular. 7 year old because the car has already made his mark. mr. brand experiment on. this vine sized ranger. is turning heads with these aren't the

romance. of 30 minutes on d w. the firestorms long shot down. 75 years ago dresden historical center was decimated in a single night by the allied forces 3 months before the end of world war 2. historians are still debating how the baroque city came to be bombed. analyzing the house to be dressed in leather. is the world becoming less western now does it mean for the world if the west leaves the stage to others key questions at this year's munich security conference

and join us for our coverage of the security conference 2020 today on d w. they were forced into a nameless mass. their bodies near tools. the history of the slave trade is africa's history. it describes how the greeks for our entropic plummeted an entire continent into chaos and violence. the slave system created the greatest planned accumulation of wealth the world had ever seen up to that moment in time this is the journey back into the history of slavery. i think will truly be making progress when we all accept the history of slavery as all of our history. our documentary

series slavery routs starts march 9th on d w. this is the news live from berlin is the west winning. at the munich security conference happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly over exaggerated. when i look at the world as it's being shaped and that's the theme of your conference this year there is indeed a weakening of the west.