Most people believe that Romeo and Juliet is just a story born out of the imagination of William Shakespeare, and in Verona only the house of Juliet with its picturesque balcony is worth a visit. In reality, the events told in the famous legend are interwoven with facts and historical figures of medieval Verona, and there are many places in the historic center of Verona linked to the story. These are the subject of our exciting guided tour.

Investigate the truth about the world’s most famous love story. Visit places and monuments of Verona from a new perspective and discover hidden and unknown corners of the city. A guided tour as surprising as a mystery novel with constant twists and turns.

Meeting point: Colum of the winged St. Mark lion in Erbe square, Verona

The itinerary:

It will include: Erbe square, Signori square with the Scala family palace and Dante’s statue, Scala Family mausoleum (entrance), Romeo’s house (from outside), Juliet’s house (entrance), Palazzo Carlotti (from outside), Verona Middle Age city wall, Juliet’s grave (entrance), and much more.

Themes

• Who really wrote the story of Romeo and Juliet?

• Did Romeo and Juliet really exist?

• Did Shakespeare ever came to Verona?

The itinerary will try to answer these and many other questions through historical and literary sources, facts and monuments. But, by the end of the tour you may have more doubts than certainties.

We will talk about Bartholomew I della Scala, lord of Verona at the time of the events and the bloody vicissitudes of the Scala family. We will talk about Dante, who lived in Verona after he was banished from Firenze and, in the Divine Comedy, mentions “Montecchi and Cappelletti“, while talking about Guelphs and Ghibellines the feuding  factions in middle age Italy.

Literary Vicissitudes

Romeo and Juliet is not only a tragic love story, but also one of the most resounding plagiarisms in the history of universal literature. Shakespeare made it famous, but the construction of the plot as we know it spans over more than a century and at least five different authors before reaching Elizabethan England.

Our guided tour is not just a walk through the streets of Verona, but a journey into the work of authors such as Masuccio Salernitano, Matteo Bandello, and especially Luigi da Porto, with his adventurous life and troubled love affair with the beautiful Lucina Svorgnan. He contributed, more than any other, to shaping the plot and characters. And all this more than sixty years before Shakespeare!

Parking lots located conveniently close to the meeting point:

• Arena Parking
• Parking Cittadella
• Parking Centro

Comfortable shoes without heels are recommended.

Punctuality is recommended. Free cancellation up to 24h from the tour.

Please feel free to contact us for more information:

info@veronaguide.net

+ 39 333 2199 645