With the brazilian Valentine’s Day coming up, a significant number of people and other couples celebrate this date by simply watching a romantic film alongside their loved ones. One of the many films worth checking out is the 2010 romantic comedy-drama “Letters to Juliet,” which will celebrate its 15th anniversary on June 14th, so don’t miss the chance to introduce this lovely picture to a whole new generation of young lovers and have once again the opportunity to revive a delightful message of love in many forms.
“If you love someone, bring them to Verona”
The premise follows Sophie, played by “Mamma Mia” actress Amanda Seyfried, a young and determined aspiring journalist, who on her pre-honeymoon in Verona, Italy discovers an unanswered letter to Juliet asking for love advice, which leads her to Claire, played by English actress Vanessa Redgrave. Accompanied by Claire’s grumpy grandson, the trio venture through the region searching for old lost love, while a new love blossoms.
At first, viewers may expect just another cliché love story, but don’t let this appearance fool you. The film has a much deeper message behind it, not to mention it highlights a tradition that goes back to centuries ago. One of the most important and essential topics of the plot is that it gives people hope that when one’s love is true, it will manage to find you even if it seems doubtful and you lose a bit of faith along the way, because what is meant to be, will eventually come to you. It also strengthens us that love in any form can endure even through the storms of time.
The real “secretaries of Juliet” and how it started
The Juliet Club, a nonprofit cultural organization started in Verona in 1972. Its founders, Giulio Tamassia and a group of scholars united over their passion for the Shakespearian legend. Nowadays the organization is managed by Tamassia’s daughter, Giovanna as well as a group of passionate and competent volunteers as shown in the film. Each year the team receives thousands of letters worldwide searching for advice regarding love. They receive and reply in many languages such as English, Italian, German, French, Polish, Arabic, Finnish and even Braille (which is a writing system developed to help people with visual impairment).
Giovanna says; “almost all of the letters contain the phrase ‘Juliet, I can only tell you. Only you can help me.’ Even if she’s a literary figure, she has become real.”
One of about 15-20 secretaries who organize and help reply to the letters says; “people tell Juliet about their love lives but also about friendship, family, and other problems. They often write ‘You are the only one who can understand how I feel.’ Juliet never judges.”
Curiously, The Secretaries of Juliet appear in newer films, such as Netflix’s 2022 romantic comedy Love in the Villa.
The brief origin of the first secretary of Juliet
The story of the first ‘secretary of Juliet’ dates all the way back to the 1930s. Back then, people would leave letters in Juliet’s Tomb. Ettore Solimani, guardian of the tomb at the time, began sending responses to the letters by dishing out advice and hence beginning the tradition. Most people would think that in an era that technological resources and devices may suffice, a much simpler gesture of one’s feelings for the other can carry a way deeper message behind it, such as sending someone a letter in a traditional manner, with a vintage calligraphy and a fancy envelope. It can be sent to someone who lives next to you, in another city or to add some more drama to it, it can be addressed to someone who is miles away from where you are.
The real Casa di Giulietta
Contrary to what it may seem, this sweet little balcony was actually added to the building in the 1930s in order to keep the Shakespeare tale alive and to attract more tourism to the city. Imagine yourself standing there waiting for your soul-mate.
Right in front of it, there is a golden statue representing the star-cross´d lover of Juliet herself. In fact, legend tells that if you rub her right breast, you´ll find your love misfortunes turned around. It is worth a try, who knows? Perhaps that’s the step you need to take to find the one that is destined for you.
How far are we willing to go for love?
Some spend countless years searching for their better half, while others fail to realize the person you wish to share your life with might be closer to you than you´ve ever thought. It’s not necessarily wrong to ask ourselves how far we go for love since it not only involves a subject that we often take a significant amount of time to answer, if we ever do, but also because on this journey we might be able to uncover things we never paid attention to about ourselves.
The article above was edited by Larissa Prais.
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