Over 50,000 letters a year arrive at the Verona post office addressed to a single recipient written on the envelope: Giulietta, Verona. No street number, no postcode. And yet they arrive — from Japan, Russia, Brazil, the United States. Someone reads them. Someone writes back. This is the story of how it all began.
The Man Who Invented Verona's Love Mail
It was 1930. Ettore Solimani, custodian of the Tomba di Giulietta Capuleti, noticed something unusual: visitors were leaving handwritten notes on the tomb. Love messages, questions, confessions. Solimani began collecting those early letters left by lovers and replied to each one, effectively becoming Juliet's first secretary. He did it without being asked. He did it because he was moved.
Ettore Solimani spent a fortune on stamps. When he retired, an intellectual named Giulio Tamassia took over and in 1991 founded the Club di Giulietta. The association had actually been born in 1972 from Tamassia's own idea, but it was at the request of the Municipality that the Club officially took on the management of the Posta di Giulietta — an initiative that quickly spread around the world.
Today this singular correspondence is managed by the Club di Giulietta through a team of local and international volunteers who read, translate, and reply to thousands of messages. There are around 45 volunteers, known as the "Segretarie di Giulietta" — Juliet's Secretaries. It takes tact and gentleness to face the weight of pain that so often surfaces in these letters.
What You'll Actually Find at Juliet's House in 2026
The courtyard of Via Cappello — the scent of Scaligero stone, the worn bronze of the statue, the murmur of voices overlapping in ten languages — is as it has always been. But access in 2026 has changed significantly.
From 1 April 2026, entry to the Courtyard and Juliet's House is exclusively through the Teatro Nuovo in Piazzetta Navona, where visitors are welcomed by multilingual staff and an exhibition dedicated to the history and myth of the lovers immortalised by Shakespeare. After the visit, a one-way route leads out through the archway onto Via Cappello.
Admission prices from 1 April 2026: Teatro Nuovo and Courtyard €5, Teatro Nuovo + Courtyard + Casa di Giulietta €12. Free for children under 5, people with disabilities holding a Disability Card, and VeronaCard holders. Opening hours: Monday 14:00–19:00, Tuesday–Sunday 9:00–19:00. Closed 25 December and 1 January. Tickets for both routes must be purchased online at verona.midaticket.it. Online booking is required even for those entitled to free admission.
Local tip: arrive early in the morning, before 9:30. The courtyard fills up quickly after 11:00. The new entry through the Teatro Nuovo is a genuine addition: the introductory exhibition before the balcony is worth the extra ten minutes.
How to Close the Visit with a Veronese Dish — Amarone as Ritual
The culinary chapter of this story has one clear protagonist: Amarone della Valpolicella. Once the visit is over and you step out through the arch onto Via Cappello, you are at the heart of the city. Within five minutes on foot you'll find osterie and bacari where the wine of the Veronese hills makes its way into the food.
Risotto all'Amarone — vialone nano IGP rice and Amarone della Valpolicella — is the most classic of local dishes: creamy, fragrant, refined. It is Verona's way of telling you about its land without the need for words. L'Osteria da Ugo, in the historic centre just steps from the balcony, serves wines drawn almost exclusively from the province of Verona, with the Valpolicella as its primary reference.
Pairing the story of the love letters with a glass of Valpolicella Classico Superiore is not a cliché: it is understanding Verona from the inside. The wine, like the letters, comes from these hills. It carries the same stubborn promise: that something beautiful endures.
Can I Write a Letter to Juliet Too?
Yes. You can send it by post to: Club di Giulietta, Vicolo Santa Cecilia 9, 37121 Verona. Those who prefer digital can write to julietclub@julietclub.com. If you include a return address, Juliet will write back — by hand, on paper.
Can I Become "Juliet for a Day"?
Anyone can experience being "Juliet for a day" by visiting the Club's headquarters to choose letters, craft replies, and then preserve them in the wonderful Archivio di Giulietta, which can be visited by appointment. Contact the Club at julietclub.com for more information.
Is It Worth Buying the VeronaCard?
Online booking is required even for VeronaCard holders. If you also plan to visit the Arena, Torre dei Lamberti, and other civic museums, the card pays for itself easily. For Juliet's House alone, a single ticket is sufficient.
To stay just steps from the balcony and from history, the apartments at The Verona Stay Arena (Via Roma 21, near Piazza Bra) put you five minutes on foot from Via Cappello. Waking up in Verona with time to walk to the courtyard before the crowds: that really does change the visit.