Italy: Wandering in Romantic Verona, Verona, Italy (B)

Is Verona the most romantic city in the world? The romantic appeal of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has always seemed a bit dubious. Young lovers and doomed love; destroyed by fate or unlucky chance. Why would you want to model a relationship on that?

Or is it Juliet’s challenge to Verona’s deeply patriarchal society that is the key theme of the tragedy? She resists the marriage her father plans to a man she does not love; instead embracing her sexuality.

There’s no doubt the Italian city of Verona milks the whole thing like crazy and it has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site but fortunately the city manages the hordes of tourists well, maintaining a genuine charm and liveliness. The shopping streets are glamorous, only slightly marred by Italian builders calling down cheeky comments from their scaffolding.

An Italian folk tale set in Verona was the inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. It is highly unlikely that Shakespeare ever visited but he did use Verona’s longstanding romantic reputation to excellent effect in both this and his earlier work The Two Gentlemen of Verona. In the heart of the Middle Ages two factions struggled for power in northern and central Italy. The Guelphs supported the Pope while the Ghibellines were the party for imperial control. Families allied themselves fiercely to one or the other side. Added to the political mix was Verona’s reputation for hot summer weather; likely to ignite violence and passion: “the mad blood stirring”. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).