Falling in Love in Verona

“Each letter is a tiny slice of life... a small window that opens into the world of feelings.” — Juliet Letter Club

It had just stopped raining, when I finally made it out of my cozy bed and breakfast just after leaving the beautiful Lake Como. The air was cool and the sky was gray. I grabbed my umbrella, denim jacket, and headed out to explore the city of Verona, the Italian city of love and home to the fiction tragedy Romeo and Juliet.

As I walked into the Piazza delle Erbe, I could feel the essence of romance and smell the scent of passion. Love is every where in Italy and as someone who loves the idea of love but has had a tendency to push it away, I found myself marveling at Italian couples with a sense of envy. “Why is it that they embrace each other with such intensity while having no care or notice of their surroundings or what others might think? It is only 9 am and you are in fact out in the city streets and no longer in your bedroom…” These thoughts swirled around in my mind as I stood at the bar sipping my morning cappuccino fixated on a couple kissing each other with intense passion as if they will never kiss again.

But, to my surprise, the more I questioned their actions, the more I found myself admiring their ability to be so consumed with the one they adore. No boundaries. No filter. Just two people enjoying the beauty and risk of letting love have its way with them.

At the top of Torre dei Lamberti with the marvelous city view smiling big and squinting hard!!!

I then left the bar and decided to wonder. I found myself purposefully turning off my Google Maps looking for any and all excuses to get lost in this dreamy city still chilled and damp from the morning rain.

Taking in the architecture and the views, I had noticed the crowd beginning to thicken. Unsure of where I was, I peeped around the corner and realized I had arrived to the famous House of Juliet. Making my way through the crowd, I noticed bright colored notes surrounding the tunnel walls leading into the famous villa. The notes were written in all sorts of languages and posted to the walls with used bandaids or a pieces of tape. Not one square inch of the tunnel was left untouched and with my Verona city day pass in hand, I decided to go see this enchanting house for myself.

“A young lovesick Romeo Montague falls instantly in love with the beautiful Juliet Capulet… “ a love story wrapped with passion and deep sense of conviction that life as they knew it would be destined with heart ache and despair if not shared with the other.

What is it with love that fascinates us so? We will do almost anything for it and can often be so quick to forsake it. Regardless if you are a male or female, we all desire one thing in this lifetime and that is to be fully known and completely loved. Do you believe this LOVE exists? I have found, that loving is not so much a dramatic fairytale with white drawn horses or two star-crossed lovers but more simply two imperfectly perfect humans making an active choice to choose to love the other before themselves. This kind of love is not natural, it is not based on feelings or emotions, and it is not easy.

On the balcony of the Juliet House overlooking the courtyard!

Women from all over the world and of all ages write a letter to Juliet expressing their feelings and ultimate desires to finding their own real life Romeo... for their one chance at true LOVE. And, women from all different cultures and languages voluntarily answer each letter that is written to the Juliet House in hopes to continue the burning legacy of love.

“Each letter is a tiny slice of life... a small window that opens into the world of feelings.” If you could write a letter to the man you currently love or to man you haven’t met or to the man who has already passed, what would you say?

I am no love expert, but I want to choose to love and love well because He first loved me.

xoxo