You know the balcony. You just never knew the two castles.
DISCOVER THE STORY →“What do Romeo and Juliet, Vicenza and a road literally called Saint Valentine have in common?
Take a road called Saint Valentine to the castles
DISCOVER MORE →Romeo and Juliet’s castles
A romantic escape to Vicenza
You can actually become Romeo or JulietMEDIEVAL FESTIVAL IN VICENZA
Get married at the family villa of Romeo and Juliet’s Italian authorVILLA WEDDINGS IN VICENZA
Explore the illuminated galleries beneath Juliet’s castleUNDERGROUND VICENZATHE STORY IN 30 SECONDS
From the Vicenza hills to Shakespeare
A lance wound ended Vicentine captain Luigi da Porto’s military career. Back in Montorso, in the hills outside Vicenza, he wrote the novella of Romeo and Giulietta around 1524. The story moves through Italy, France and England, passing from Bandello to Boaistuau and Arthur Brooke before Shakespeare makes it famous around the world.
Montorso · 1524 →Spend a weekend with romeo and juliet
Each year, Montecchio Maggiore chooses a new Romeo and Juliet to represent the town. Applications open on Saint Valentine’s Day, then the story moves back to the two castles for La Faida, a medieval festival of processions, historical camps, costumes, performances and crowds across the castle hills. The new Romeo and Juliet are presented there and remain the town’s ambassadors for the year.
La Faida →Dante, before Romeo and Juliet
In the Purgatorio, Dante names the Montecchi and Cappelletti among Italy’s feuding families. Two centuries later, Luigi da Porto, writing from the Vicenza hills, used those names for the families of Romeo and Giulietta.
Purgatorio, canto VI →More stories hiding behind familiar names
Play tennis inside a 19th-century monastery garden just 3 minutes from the city centre
Your next reason to visit Vicenza.
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