Visiting Casa di Giulietta, Verona

On our last trip to Venice, we had an extra day and decided to leave the gorgeous city for a bit. We had a long list of potential day trips and visiting Casa di Giulietta, Verona was top of that list. I don’t think there is anyone on this planet who has not heard about Romeo and Juliet. Contrary to popular belief, it is not my idea of a romantic story. However, the story of the ill-fated lovers has somehow transcended the years and has remained a cult classic.

We checked the train ticket times from Venice Santa Lucia and realised that Verona was under 1.5 hours by train. Operation Verona now felt even more possible than before. I just knew it was the one. I mean, we all know that where there is love, romance and tv, count me in. 

Verona, Italy

Verona is a historic city and is famous for being the setting of William Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet. The city is a history lover’s heaven; filled with medieval and renaissance architecture. It also boasts of roman ruins, bustling piazzas and gorgeous gardens. Its amphitheatre still hosts opera shows till today which makes Verona a popular destination for music lovers. Although our trip to Verona was to see Casa di Giulietta, we enjoyed a stroll around and loved it. Verona is a romantic city and I get why its most visited month is actually February thanks to Valentine’s day. 

“If you love someone, bring them to Verona”

As much as I’d like to tell you that Shakespeare based his epic story around this courtyard, it is fake actually. For a more sensible walk down Shakespeare’s memory lane, Stratford upon Avon in England is a more realistic place to visit. 

Before we get into visiting Casa di Giulietta, Verona, let us talk about the inspiration for this visit. I have mentioned TV, I have also mentioned Romeo and Juliet but there were 2 other movies that inspired me to visit Verona. 

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Casa di Giulietta, Verona on TV

Unsurprisingly, this iconic location has featured in notable TV productions. It is a beautiful location so it is perfect for that love story backdrop. 

Letters to Juliet

As much as the city is known to be the setting of Romeo and Juliet, it is also impossible to write about Casa di Giulietta without referring to the movie, Letters to Juliet. As a romantic, my desire to visit Verona was reinforced after I watched Letters to Juliet. It is the 2010 film that stars Amanda Seyfried. She travels to Verona where she finds an unanswered “letter to Juliet”; this leads her on a wonderful adventure. It is a really beautiful movie which I thoroughly enjoyed and knew I had to visit “The Wall” one day.

So..Is Letters to Juliet real?

What if I told you that there is a place in Verona where you can post your broken hearted letters? You write your heart desires and the lovely ladies who work as Secretaries of Juliet write back. While the movie might have been a little bit extra, the story about the letters to Juliet is actually real. There is a red letter box within the courtyard of Juliet’s balcony where you can post your letter. Then the ladies collect the letters, read them and respond. Now, I don’t understand the logistics and I did not post any letter but I can imagine there is a system around it. 

Love in the Villa

More recently, on TV, Kat Graham stars in 2022 Love in the Villa. They rent La Villa Romantica, a villa that overlooks the famous courtyard. I immediately checked online to see if one could rent the villa in real life. Spoiler alert, nope you cannot stay in the Casa di Giulietta courtyard. However, it is a lovely movie and another one for wanderlust in Italy. A lot of it was shot in Verona.

Visiting Casa di Giulietta, Verona aka Juliet’s balcony

We got off the train at Verona and jumped in a taxi straight to Casa di Giulietta.

It is located off the main road and the address of Juliet’s balcony is 23 via Capello. It is practically in the centre of the city and not difficult to locate. When we got there, I had seen the long queue and immediately knew it had to be there. We went on a Saturday afternoon so it was quite busy. Thankfully, we had premium passes that allowed us beat the ridiculously long line and waltz straight into the courtyard. I bought the passes online and I got a time slot within the next 30 mins.

It is free to enter the courtyard and in peak seasons there is a queuing system, so as not to overcrowd the space. As you enter, you are faced with the statue of Juliet – a gold statue standing tall and looking quite mature considering Juliet was only 13 years old.

You are advised to touch her right breast for luck. Out of excitement, I ran and touched the breast and got some photos. Let me tell you, I felt foolish afterwards ngl. The whole idea is creepy if you think about it but let’s not get too deep here. After all, even the idea of visiting the place in itself doesn’t quite make any sense lol. The statue’s right breast was noticeably more washed than the rest of the stature. Obviously, everyone was touching for love and luck. 

Juliet’s balcony

To the side of the statue is Juliet’s balcony. It is part of a 14th century building that takes you back in time. When you transport yourself back to that time, you can actually see Romeo climbing the balcony. Allow me to burst the bubble a little bit. This is a new balcony in comparison to how old the building is. I read that it was added to the already existing building in the 1930s and its sole purpose was for tourism. You see, Verona being the city that Shakespeare based Romeo and Juliet’s ill-fated love story, I guess the government found a way to capitalise off the story. Now, with the addition of the balcony, you are convinced it is the real deal.

The Museum

While it is free to visit the courtyard, it costs some money to go into the museum which I highly recommend. Our fast track tickets were €7 each so its not too pricey considering the experience. It also allows you actually stand on the balcony and look down just like Juliet would have done. The best thing about the period we went was that there was an exhibition. A bed that was used in the Romeo and Juliet stage production had been loaned to the museum so it was on display. There were other props from the stage production but otherwise, there is not so much to see tbh. 

I had to keep reminding myself that Romeo and Juliet are fictional characters; therefore there is actually no history to learn about them lol. It was lovely to walk around and I was glad that the money was not just for the balcony but covered the museum visit too.

The gift shop

As with most tourist locations, there is a gift shop where you can buy padlocks for the love lock experience. There are all sorts of souvenirs to buy like pens, key rings etc. We bought a padlock, I wrote our names on it and made our way to the wall to lock our love in. They say that your love will last forever if you lock your love so of course, we indulged. It reminded me of the love lock in Paris (which I think they have removed now).

Other fun things to do in Verona

After visiting Casa di Giulietta, we decided to walk around and see more of Verona. Although our plan was solely to visit Juliet’s balcony, Verona felt so vibey that we had to explore it. We stayed in the city centre so everywhere we went was around each other. 

Piazza delle Erbe

This is the market square in Verona, where everyone falls into as they wander the city. It is the oldest square in the city and used to be the city’s forum during the Roman Empire. Today, it is filled with restaurants, cafes and historic monuments including an ancient fountain from 1368.

Chiesa di San Giovanni in Foro

There was a church on this site in medieval Verona in 1172. The church that stands there today is in baroque style and the base of the bell tower dates from the 14th century. 

Arena di Verona 

This is the amphitheatre built in 30 AD. It is located in Piazza Bra and today, it is used for large scale opera productions. Arena di Verona is one of the best preserved architectural marvels in the world and has a capacity to fit nearly 30 000 people. We did not have enough time so I did not make it to this famous spot. Let’s just say that it was the one that got away.

Visiting Casa di Giulietta, Verona – FAQs

Is it worth visiting Casa di Giulietta?

For the romantics like me, it was worth every minute of my time. This is yet another location that you have to be fully in the head space of love to enjoy it. If you are too much of a realist, then I’m not sure this is one for you. However, it is literally just one place in this spectacular city so if Casa di Giulietta is not for you, then just go to Verona.

When is the best time to visit Casa di Giulietta?

If you are going for the “love festival”, then of course you would be looking at the dates in February. Otherwise, it is one to go off peak to avoid the crowds. We went in October and tbh, it was still really busy especially because we went on a Saturday afternoon. 

How long is enough to spend at Casa di Giulietta?

We spent about 1.5 hours in total. It is a small courtyard and the museum is small as well. Then we headed to the gift shop after all and then locked our padlock. It is possible to spend even less time there but I think I was so excited and spent more time standing in awe and taking it all in. It is also important to consider there might be crowds which will make the time spent there even longer.

How much does it cost to visit Casa di Giulietta?

The courtyard is free. So you can just walk in and enjoy the views, look at the statue and the love locks etc. However, to climb up to the balcony and visit the museum, we paid €7 each and this was fast track. We got the tickets online on the day. You also need some money if you’d like to buy souvenirs from the gift shop.

The next time I am in Verona, I will explore it in depth and not just for a day. I think I underestimated the city and did not know I would enjoy it as much as I did. I really wanted to visit Tombe di Giuilietta (Juliet’s tomb), Arena di Verona and Verona Cathedral so maybe next time.

Until then…

Bisous, Bugo x