The imagined woman who became real.

Nereo Costantini (1968), Giulietta, statua in bronzo - cortile della Casa di Giulietta, Verona

Juliet's house on Via Cappello is one of the most beloved and visited places in Italy, thanks to the pen of William Shakespeare, who in his 1597 tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" immortalized the myth of the ill-fated young lovers. The English playwright was inspired by the novella written by the Vicenza-born Luigi da Porto, who is said to have in turn drawn inspiration from a Veronese legend, passed down orally, about the rival families of the Capelletti ( it would be Shakespeare who changed the name to Capuleti) and the Montecchi. The existence of the two rival dynasties in the Middle Ages was already documented by Dante Alighieri in the Purgatorio of the Divine Comedy.

As the centuries passed, the figure of Juliet fascinated more and more people, and Verona began to be a romantic pilgrimage destination. The city responded to visitors' expectations by creating a landmark home for the young Capulet. The 14th-century Gothic-style palace, which is visited by thousands of people today, really belonged to a family called Cappello, as evidenced by the coat of arms carved into the entrance arch of the courtyard.

The reconstruction of the balcony and in recent times, the placement of a statue that lovers touch as a sign of good luck have reinforced the symbolic image of Juliet.

Letters from lovers from all over the world arrive continuously at the address on Via Cappello, confiding to Juliet their sorrows and hopes for love, as if they were seeking advice from a trusted friend in the flesh. For them, the literary heroine, a figment of the poet's imagination, has become a real woman.