THE city of Verona in Italy receives thousands of letters each year addressed to Juliet, Shakespeare's famous heroine. The writers of such letters can rest assured that they are all processed, regardless of the language they are written in, thanks to the Juliet Club.
This team of volunteers responds to romantics looking for answers about their own love lives. And anyone can become a volunteer – an experience some TikTokers have shared online.
'Romeo and Juliet' is the timeless romantic tragedy that captivates lovers around the world. In penning this ill-fated love story between a Capulet and a Montague, Shakespeare made Verona the city of love.
If Juliet's house and its famous balcony are a must-see for tourists, social networks have brought the Juliet Club back into the limelight.
Composed of a team of volunteers, in charge of answering love letters sent to Verona or left by tourists visiting the Italian city, this club was created in 1972 by artists passionate about Shakespeare's tragedy.
According to the association's website, the story goes back to the 1930s when a certain Ettore Solimani, in charge of maintaining Juliet's tomb, took to answering the letters people left on the tomb and signing them "Juliet's secretary."
This club, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity thanks to TikTok. Users of the platform have shared their experience as volunteers.
The craze is such that giving half a day or a day of your time during a visit to Verona to answer these letters has almost become a tourist attraction in itself.
@apreslesetoiles A rajouter dans votre bucket list ❤️ #fyp #foryou #pourtoi #romeoetjuliette ♬ La dolce vita (In via Veneto) - Remastered 2017 - Carlo Savina
The initiative inspired the 2010 movie 'Letters to Juliet', about a vacationer who finds a letter from a woman looking for her long-lost love, and who sets out on a mission to find him.
The Juliet Club even uses a quote from the movie to describe the initiative: "There is a place in Verona where people who suffer can leave a message to ask Juliet for help."
Today, The Juliet Club receives thousands of letters from all over the world, and the phenomenon has been accentuated by social networks. Each letter is read, translated and answered, before being stored in the club's archives.
The concept remains benevolent, the objective is to reassure lovers by offering a personalized response while celebrating love. And the club is always on the lookout for temporary volunteers who can pen replies in English or other languages.
So if you're in Verona this summer, be sure to stop by The Juliet Club to lend a hand answering letters from lovers seeking advice, or to drop off your own letter.
You can ask Juliet's advice throughout the year by sending your letter to "Juliet, Verona, Italy," and don't forget to include your address so that you can get a return letter from the famous Juliet Capulet... or one of her secretaries. – ETX Daily Up, July 21, 2022
