Romeo and Juliet – Verona
Supposedly the location of the famous balcony scene from Shakespeare’s love story, Juliet’s house is a popular romantic shrine and tourist honey-trap where lovers leave messages to each other on the walls and attach the dreadful lovelocks to the fences and the railings.
Although the house has become a major destination for tourist pilgrimage the house of course has no connection at all with the bard’s fictional characters and although it is old and looks authentic enough, the balcony was actually added in 1936 and declared to be “Juliet’s house” by the city authorities in a blatant attempt to cash in on the Shakespeare connection and to attract tourists.
Have Bag, Will Travel 
Oh good lord
“the balcony was actually added in 1936 and declared to be “Juliet’s house” by the city authorities”
How many supposedly real historic places have been put together to attract tourists
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Quite a lot I imagine but I don’t have an issue with that. I used to think this was rather a shame as well but am now persuaded by Henry Miller who wrote of the the reconstruction and interpretation of the Minoan Palace at Knossos on Crete: “There has been much controversy about the aesthetics of Sir Arthur Evans’s work of restoration. I find myself unable to come to any conclusion about it; I accepted it as a fact. However Knossos may have looked in the past, however it may look in the future, this one which Evans has created is the only one I shall ever know. I am grateful to him for what he did…”
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Reblogged this on Ms. Walters' Blog and commented:
Exploring the beautiful world through beautiful images.
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I liked Verona but don’t ever remember visiting the balcony. Stayed in a wonderful youth hostel there. Big old building slightly up a hill in beautiful grounds, roaring log fire, fantastic food served at a huge table so we all dined together, and all at a dirt cheap price 🙂
This is a good one for ‘love’ I think.
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You did’t really miss very much – security guards to stop people attaching love locks or writing on the walls and the inevitable gift shop!
I never stayed in youth hostels so missed out there I think – too late now!
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Great choice of photo 😉
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