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One of my favorite movies is "Letter's to Juliet" starring Amanda Seyfried, so Verona was definitely on my list of places to see.  Sophie (Amanda) dreams of becoming a writer and travels to Verona, Italy where she meets the "Secretaries of Juliet".  People write various letters to Juliet and put them in the wall in the courtyard, where they are picked up by a group of women, read and answered.

This actually happens in real life! The Juliet Club is a volunteer group who reply to each and every letter. I couldn't wait to see this enchanting courtyard. I had envisioned a quiet, romantic setting full of lovers declaring their love, or quietly contemplating and writing their letters to Juliet. 

After being pointed in the right direction, we headed down the cobblestone street and arrived at an arch where band aids, gum and graffiti covered the walls and crowd and crowds of people were trying to cram into the courtyard. Wait...this can't be it!!!! But alas it was. Not quite the vision I had.

(photo credit to The Runaway Bunny)

Apparently, you are supposed to chew up a piece of gum and stick it to the wall, then have your picture taken stretching it out...gross and WHY?????

Despite all of that, it was still worth it to see and snap off a few pictures.

Now whether or not this was the balcony used in Romeo and Juliet is debatable, but Shakespeare's tragic play was set in Verona. Regardless, it's a pretty good tourist gimmick.

My version of "Juliet's Balcony":

6x6

Some traditions associated with "Casa di Giulietta" (House of Juliet) include writing the name of you and your lover on a padlock and locking it on the wall, then of course your love will last forever and ever...

or  touching Juliet's bronze statue to bring good luck... I had to snap this one really quick in between the crowds and crowds of people trying to get their picture taken with her.

We only had one afternoon to explore Verona, and 5-10 minutes was all we needed for this trap dream to be checked off my bucket list.

Moving on...

We had lunch in a small square (Piazza delle Erbe)  right by the flea market. This was the sight of the towns forum during the Roman Empire.

Our cameriere (waiter) was a trip...he kept correcting the 2 or 3 words I knew in Italian.

One of my favorite things to do is to find the best spot in town to watch the sunset, and in Verona, that would be the Castle on the hill. But 1st, here are some things we encountered along the way:

Scaliger Tombs (Commemorate the family who ruled Verona in the 13th and 14th centuries.)

Ornate Gothic windows and doors...

Peeling layers of time gone by, revealing magnificent textures...

and intricately painted frescos.

There were delightful surprises around every corner.

This one was another inspiration for a painting:

"Hidden Cafe' "

(click here for more information on the painting)

Wrought iron lamps and flowers accessorize each building like the  finishing touch to a charming outfit.

"You Light Up My Life"

(Click for more information on this painting)

And speaking of charming outfits...

We arrived at the Adige River where the Castle San Pietro awaited on the other side.

Along the bridge, an artist was busy capturing some of the beautiful scenes of Verona.

Up we go...

That "Golden Hour" was upon us as we made our way to the top of the Castle.

 Cypress trees adorned the path, and we found a spot on the wall.

It was well worth the climb...judge for yourself!

Not bad for an afternoon in Verona.