Buon San Valentino. Italy is a love story.
"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” - W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet
Buon San Valentino! ❤️
Today is the perfect day for a love story and Italy has long been the setting for unforgettable stories - - some written in books, others unfolding in real life. It is a country where chance meetings become lifelong memories, where a simple walk through a medieval street can change your perspective, and where beauty has a way of bringing people together. We have seen it happen time and again; not only in literature, but for us, and in the journeys of the travelers we welcome.
It is no surprise that one of the world’s most enduring love stories is set in the enchanting Italian city of Verona. .
In the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, the young couple are called “star-crossed lovers”. From the very beginning, fate is determined to stand in their way.
In William Shakespeare’s story Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, are children of two noble families locked in a bitter feud. When Romeo and his friends secretly attend a grand Capulet celebration, he meets the beautiful Juliet, and in that evening, they fall in love and their lives are forever changed.
Despite the rivalry dividing their households, the two promise themselves to one another. Hoping to end the conflict between the families, a compassionate friar secretly marries them. But peace proves elusive. Soon after, Romeo encounters Juliet’s fiery cousin, Tybalt. When Romeo refuses to fight, his loyal friend Mercutio takes his place and is tragically killed. Grief-stricken and enraged, Romeo slays Tybalt and is banished from Verona. Before departing for Mantua, he shares one final night with Juliet.
Desperate to avoid a marriage arranged by her father to Count Paris, Juliet implores the friar for help. They plan: The friar gives her a potion that will make her appear lifeless. Romeo will meet her at the Capulet tomb when she awakens. But fate intervenes. Romeo is not told the full story and only hears that Juliet is dead.
In the quiet of Verona’s ancient tombs, believing he has lost his beloved, Romeo takes his own life. When Juliet awakens to find him beside her, she follows him in death. Their tragic sacrifice finally ends the feud. Proving that love, though brief, can change the trajectory of what seems forever divided. And maybe this is something for us to know right now.
Today, visitors to Verona gather beneath Juliet’s legendary balcony, where Shakespeare’s tale forever entwined the city with the world’s greatest love story. Verona may belong to Romeo and Juliet, but Italy is for everyone who arrives open to possibility. It brought Isidoro and I together. It inspired a life we never imagined and a journey we now share with you.
So we ask…
What part of you is ready to fall in love with Italy?
Wishing you a sweet and happy buon San Valentino! ❤️
Isidoro & Monica