The Immortalised city of Verona
A city immortalised by Shakespeare, Verona has inspired literature and movies for years. Situated in northern Italy, Verona is one of the more beautifully archaic parts of the country and was awarded World Heritage Site status.
As those avid fans of Amanda Seyfried will probably tell you – there is a film called “Letters to Juliet” – this film is based upon Juliets Wall which sits quite happily in the centre of, you guessed it, Verona.
The area where the wall can be found is situated around a stone balcony. An almost gothic appeal sits with this protruding monument and it is reported to actually have been the home of Juliet Capulet; the titular heroine in Shakespeare’s immortal tale. In the courtyard below is a bronze statue of the woman herself, worn down in places due to the belief that rubbing the statue will bring good luck. Of course, on top of all this, every inch of space in the surrounding area is covered in love letters and graffiti from people all over the world. It is another common belief that writing your loved ones name or placing it upon the wall will make your love everlasting. From my experience reading the wall however, there are also those who place notes upon the wall asking to find love – asking for Juliet’s blessing in their quest. It’s a spectacular sight to see and moving that everyone from every country in the world shares at least one thing in common.
Another pulling point in this historical city is the amphitheatre. It boasts the title of being the third largest in Italy and was completed sometime around 30 AD. The structure was of course used in the past for events such as gladiator games and was so famous for its attractions that it would bring in tourists even before the concept of a holiday. Of course it still lives to please so the amphitheatre today still hosts events such as theatre and open aired opera during the Summer months. Watching the audience show up for these events is quite something as those who turn up for the opera still do so in beautiful gowns, top hats and tails. Another example of how Verona is like a snapshot into the past. Now as I mentioned, the opera is indeed open air, so walking around outside on a balmy summer evening means you yourself can enjoy the sounds of a genuine Italian Opera without having to dust off your best Scarlett O’Hara inspired dress to do so.
If archaic and historical is not your thing, don’t fret. The high streets within the city comprise of Armani, Bottega, Gucci – all the greats straight from fifth avenue to the backstreets of sleepy Verona. Although a lot of money is not necessarily required if you are just there to see the sights – (A McDonalds sits not far from the entrance to the city centre if that’s any help).
Upon leaving the city, you are greeted with the bust of William Shakespeare himself, carved out of stone and not in the flesh fortunately. Beside him is a plaque that reads “There is no world without Verona walls, but purgatory, torture, hell itself” – Seems a bit much, but have just one visit to this beautiful city, and see if a small part of you doesn’t end up agreeing with him.
