#16 / Speaking of love…

Our imaginary journey today takes us to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet as recounted in the world-famous tragedy by William Shakespeare. And speaking of love, who better to be our guide than our aptly-named stylist, Eros?

His tale begins in the fourteenth century with the rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets, the families of these unlucky young lovers who must be two of the most unfortunate individuals in the whole of literature. We chat about it while standing below the famous Gothic balcony of Juliet’s home, a beautiful thirteenth century building. 

Not everyone knows that this was actually the residence of the Dal Cappello family; nothing – other than popular belief – shows this to be the birthplace of the most famous Juliet in the world.

Regardless of who it belonged to, it is nevertheless an incredibly beautiful building, the air around these walls has a magical quality to it, as if time had stopped with that ill-fated love affair.

Our walk around Verona begins right here and winds its way through the pedestrian streets of the old town up to the world-famous Arena. It is always moving to consider for how many centuries these stones have stood here and how many performances they have witnessed: from fights between gladiators in Roman times, to the operas sung here for over a century. 

The world premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida was staged right here in 1913.

The land around Verona is highly regarded for its vineyards which run from the banks of Lake Garda all along the Adige river. The areas of Soave, Valpolicella and Bardolino are to be found here and it is also here that wines of worldwide renown, such as Amarone, were born. 

And it is precisely with a Risotto all’Amarone that we end our trip in style. A hearty and delectable dish, just like a love story (but one with a happy ending!).

Big hugs,

Marco