what secrets lie behind. discover new adventures in 360 degree. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. w world heritage 360 get the maps now. the rhone up 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 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 it is undoubtedly a city full of history and monuments a beautiful city full of architectural a natural wonders. but it was above all shakespeare who helped make this city famous we call a family that i took 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. time between reality and fantasy history and legend.

and this dynamic city it's easy to imagine the tragedy of romeo and juliet caught on folded any moment all over again. with the rona is simply beautiful i was born here and i've spent my whole life in verona. i'm very connected to the place. 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. and. giovanni is 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 going to be 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 crazy this is ok i've been out for a little. bit. he's 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. something. so simple i found that and so we come here at least once a week to empty this mailbox and it's always full of enamel novels that us at the manor house focus even if today there aren't so many letters because the box was emptied yesterday argy home to luncheon and the regular knows what that they had 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. or known as juliet's secretaries each letter is given thoughtful consideration. like this one. that i do get do you judy answer 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 relationship 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. help me or you to 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 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 i wouldn't have. missed it is a bit was 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 you know it's not always easy. you have to think carefully about your response. juliet secretaries work for free whenever they can carve out time from their daily

lives. only giovanni to masi at the club manager is almost always here. support also comes from ball in tears visiting perona from around the world who take time during their vacations to help the love lorn. you got that you have on it 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 us that you did 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 it. makes me feel good. i feel good when i answer that.

and that continues after the end of their working day giovanna organizes many events reading us award ceremonies on 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.

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. oh. oh. giovanni 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 about it because. if you talk so much about emotions and love something remains. from 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 some of them that's a good thing. 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. my father founded the club did you leave. me when i was around 20 he started doing it on behalf of the city of her own no one i. started off as a hobby for him. but it became

a passion that the whole family shared. there 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 way. that was how the juliet club started. it's 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 giulietta. and using unsureness of where with us now it's really a very nice feeling to sign a letter with juliet's name yeah 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. that's what it was strange to not sign my own name to write your juliet. and your 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 i wasn't quite there juliet and they want to get an answer from juliet. picture oriya 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. but in the us that's 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 am 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. in the 1930 s. this was the tourist attraction here to out of the cold that on the house of julia it hadn't been renovated yet so the tourists came here the 2nd approach i think 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. or by. the king's. i could sum up a name that you think that she had out in the 30s there was a custodian here during 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 it's not the 1st along. the 4 saves that no one knows of juliet is really buried here but the legend has been around for centuries. these 3 women have just arrived in varanasi 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 the way to feel was that you know this is my 1st visit to verona 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 on 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 friends or other people who are close to you so you know if we can be successful in writing helps you to organize your thoughts you know you and writing to someone who is experienced such

a beautiful the tragic love story that you feel close to this girl. to get to go see. christina espanol o. is at home getting ready for the awards event where she's due to appear in the role of juliet. in the me the transformation starts when i do my hair. with my make 3 braids and pin them up. just that i think i only with this head when i'm juliet the transformation begins with the head. pristina 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'm 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 usually change the. last year one letter he ended with the words prisoner of his spirit i

don't know what of course he was unlucky in love. me some have nothing. so we got the award ceremony the prize winning letters are read aloud. to the audience listen spellbound to the eloquent accounts of romance tragedy longing and love start young. 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 alessandro 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 i'm happy that life has brought me here and i'm proud of what i wrote. was it one of those good. 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. that they have. this burst 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 you know who commissioned a very nice sculptor sergio. 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 a talian television. love romance longing and the realization that these peelings are universal all over the world. kate and weary from case a stray or just a right yes 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 than the starting back then aha this girl is experiencing the same thing that i am. even though 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. and that's that they love more of it but it's only that their own is the city of love par excellence the story of romeo and juliet is known everywhere. the tourists who come here from all over the world say there's something very special about her owner but there's a romantic atmosphere here. and that's all thanks to shakespeare who chose verona

as the setting for romeo and juliet he better be a bit older. 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. your romance.

and sometimes a marriage proposal. you seem to be feeling the pain would be. better rico had this well planned ahead for the mazy the quake in music i've been intending to ask for months. some unity we 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 burundi and today i want to propose. some of the ball stops for fuel object and i mean. this is my city and it's romeo and juliet our 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.

is quite as simple as it seems. to understand the why. we need to take a closer. experience not to mock.

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