Spend the evening inside Juliet’s castle, frescoes and all

About

Romeo and Juliet in the dining room

At Juliet’s castle in the hills west of Vicenza, the love story accompanies dinner in fourteen fresco panels. Inside Castello della Bellaguardia, above Montecchio Maggiore, the restaurant hall beneath the panoramic terrace contains a cycle painted in 1939 by Pino Casarini, an artist and stage designer who also worked at Verona’s Arena. The Capulets’ ball, the balcony encounter, the secret marriage and the final tragedy all appear in his paintings.

Look also for the two writers. Among the twelve narrative scenes are portraits of William Shakespeare and Luigi da Porto, the Vicenza author whose Italian novella became an important source for the later play. Casarini gives both a place in the room, bringing the Vicentine contribution to this famous love story into the picture. Ask to see the frescoed hall when reserving dinner, so that the paintings become part of the visit.

The view that made a fortress

Bellaguardia occupies the higher of Montecchio’s two castle hills, 254 metres above sea level. From its upper perimeter, the panorama extends across the Veneto plain and the Berici Hills towards the Little Dolomites. Romeo’s fortress appears on the neighbouring hill, seen here against the countryside around Vicenza. Arrive while there is still daylight to appreciate the scale of the landscape; after dusk, lighting picks out the two castles against the hills.

The terrace and dining room belong to a later chapter of the building’s history. Much of the surviving fortress is the work of the Scaligeri, the medieval dynasty that ruled Verona and Vicenza. During restoration in the 1930s, the walls were repaired and a restaurant with a panoramic terrace was built inside Juliet’s castle. The medieval stronghold and Casarini’s twentieth century paintings are therefore distinct parts of the visit, each worth looking at in its own right.

What to eat at Juliet’s castle

The cooking offers another introduction to the province of Vicenza. The Accademia Italiana della Cucina’s restaurant guide singles out baccalà alla vicentina, the local cod dish, served with polenta made from Marano Vicentino corn. It also records potato gnocchi with black truffles from the Berici Hills, giving the countryside visible from the terrace a presence at the table. Ask about the current menu when booking, and specify whether you would prefer the frescoed room or an outdoor table, subject to availability and the season.

An afternoon with Tiepolo, an evening at Juliet’s castle

For an art day trip from Vicenza, begin at Villa Cordellina Lombardi, also in Montecchio Maggiore. Its main hall contains frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo, the eighteenth century Venetian painter, executed in 1743 and 1744. Alexander the Great and Scipio Africanus appear in expansive historical scenes beneath an allegorical ceiling. Visiting the villa before heading up to Bellaguardia gives the afternoon a substantial artistic itinerary, from Tiepolo’s aristocratic commission to Casarini’s painted romance, followed by dinner inside the castle.

Arrange the villa visit and restaurant reservation separately. Access to Bellaguardia follows the restaurant’s opening schedule, so confirm that the frescoed hall and panoramic terrace will be available at your intended time, particularly when planning to arrive before dinner.