House of Juliet...

Probably not surprising, it was due to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet that we were drawn to visiting Verona. Despite these characters being fictional, a tourist site has popped up in an early 14th century house featuring a lovely balcony (rumored to have been added in the 20th century). Entry into the courtyard to see the balcony is free.

It’s believed that if you rub the bronze statue of Juliet, you’ll find your true love. Considering how shiny her right breast is, it’s clear she’s rubbed a lot.

Despite the warnings that this was another tourist trap, we paid the few euros to enter the Casa di Juiletta (House of Juliet).

In addition to getting to take photos on the infamous balcony, we learned about the actual family that lived in the house and saw costumes from a movie version of the tragic love story.

Afterwards, we ate lunch in one of the squares and wandered the small market. That evening one of Darlene’s cousins had us over for dinner. She made an amazing spread of food and we all enjoyed looking at old family photos. Darlene did a great job being my personal translator as only a few of her cousins speak English.