earth a home for saving global indias tell stories of creative people and innovative projects around the world ideas to protect the climate and boost green energy solutions by global oil india's beaten by a series of global 3000 on d. w. and online. verona in northern italy. the city of love couples from all over the world flock here to pledge their eternal love because verona is inextricably entwined with the tragic tale of the star crossed lovers romeo and juliet and 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 or nasa going in there with their own it 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 make this city famous we are all a family that. when 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 could unfolded any moment all over again. here to so not that the rona is simply beautiful i was born here and i've spent my whole life in verona a little much i'm very connected to the place and actually. i think for one it is so attractive to tourists because it reflects so much from so many areas from roman times to the middle ages to the renaissance. and maybe i should go. 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 is a little silly this is one of all these rituals that are part of what we could call our collective craziness. but it's beautiful because it's about love and emotions so a little craziness is ok but being out there for them. is good this is. the

crazy scenes in the house of juliet are all part of a day's work for giovanni. as is collecting juliet's mail. some of them but i found that it's only come here at least once a week to empty this mailbox and it's always full of a national novel that is at the manor house about a 2nd season of today there aren't so many letters because the box was emptied yesterday luncheon it wasn't 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 o. are known as juliet's secretaries each letter is given thoughtful consideration. like this one. that i do you do you truly and 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 they should i look for a new love or try to find happiness in this relationship maybe it's not love anymore. please help me or you tell 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. can grow more human and 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 did they do it with that i thought another letter that i read earlier is very long and i will have to think about it in peace and quiet. not that it's not always easy. you have to think carefully about your response that you've been. 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. she obama has been doing this for more than 30 years. after she and the other secretaries share the same passion. for the moment and they love me what i really believe in love. they got us that it did you the story of romeo and juliet is very close to my heart. because i'm from vero now. i see it as a privilege to help out at the club and and so the letters from love and address their problems like i could. always makes me feel good. meantime i feel good when i answer that question

and to be in a quandary. and that continues after the end of their working day. giovanni organizes many events reading us award ceremonies all 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 toward 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.

giovanna 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 is time to unwind after their busy days. geovanni a deal so much with love at the office it's only natural that it's a topic at home as well. 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 every day life might be different. that the sun and that's a good thing. if. giovanna knows that she has taken on an unusual task. of. 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. my father founded the club did you. mean 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. and he did it in his free time to. and in some point he asked me to help him translate letters. 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 mentor. 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 the $10000.00 euros worth of postage stamps it uses every year.

victoria also science her answers with julie actor. and it was the insurance of. 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. well that's what it was strange to not sign my own name to write you were as juliet . i knew 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. and it has just missed them it did not have to be any different and i was very moved by the story of a woman who came from russia to italy for love. and had 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 puting 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 training. in the 1930 s. this was the tourist attraction here to out of the cold that on at the house of julia it hadn't been renovated yet so the tourists came here. 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 when he died oh by. the. look at some of the 93 baghdad out in the thirty's there was a custodian here 20 soleimani who on his own initiative started collecting the letters the visitors left on the surface. and he started answering the letters and signed them juliet secretary and i think most of all. could you get the full say 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 in baroda 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 but if you know what i had you know this is my 1st visit to her own us but 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 a nice surprise when you see most of. 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 friends or other people who are close to you so. we suggest when writing helps you to organize your thoughts in order to see you and writing to someone who has experienced such a beautiful the tragic love story that you feel close to this girl if you know that

you guys. 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. my make 3 braids and pin them up. just so i mean i only wind his head when i'm juliet the transformation begins with the head. 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. juliet when christina appears in the role everyone wants a photo with her. being in. the prize winners aren't the only ones captivated. with it's marvelous it's about them but i got such a collection of attractive women that i thought i only it's the women's turn and that recently a lot of the prize winners have been men and he complained about that to the jury the pretty last year one letter he ended with the words prisoner of his spirit. of

course he was unlucky in love. me nothing. so the award ceremony the prize winning letters are read aloud. to the audience listen the spellbound to the eloquent accounts of romance tragedy longing and love. she 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. who said 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 life has brought me here and i'm proud of what i wrote. was it one of those if you don't. leave or 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 and my father's julio thomas who commissioned a very nice sculptor sergio percent. they wanted to thank the bard for the enormous gift he gave to the city of. god. 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. cakes and worry from kate a stray or just the right answer i live in london but i've wanted to do this for a couple years so school holidays for a week and i came over here 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 in this same community more than 2 years ago i read some letters that described an unrequited love i recognize myself for most stories because back then i was in a similar situation more. starting back then aha this girl is experiencing the same thing that i am that 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. oh no. i think you know this is possible.

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. and that's that they love more of it but it's only that their own is the city of love power excellence the story of romeo and juliet is known everywhere. because it has a few tourists who come here from all over the world say there is something very special about for owner that there is a romantic atmosphere here. and that's all thanks to shakespeare who chose verona

as the setting for romeo and juliet you better give it all up. 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. you seem to be feeling the pain would be. better rico had this well planned. for the mazy the wake of music i've been intending to ask for months. some unity we allow on valentine's day we've come here to this wonderful spot with a view of the entire city. yet us from her and today i want to propose. it's what the force the appeal of jack and i'm nancy this is my city and it's romeo and juliet are i mean for them 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.

colorful. abstract. and popular. 7 year old mcgonagall car has already made his mark majoritarian. and experimental . find signs painter. he's turning heads with his aren't you romesh. in 30 minutes on d w. o cycle hold good for america on.

the fast industry goes slow. commuters opt for a trendsetter at night. the roaring twenty's of pre-loading. is fashion 2020 style artist 21. 90 minutes on d w. what secrets lie behind. discover new adventures in 360 degree. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. w world heritage 360 get the maps now.

they were forced into a nameless mass of. their bodies near tools. the history of the slave trade is of africa's history. it describes how the greeks or power in traffic 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 routes starts march 9th on d w. this

is deja news live from berlin and the west winning or is it weaker well it depends on who you ask 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 conferences here there is indeed a weakening.