There is no world without Verona walls...
Heaven is here, where Juliet lives.

Shakespeare

THE "DEAR JULIET" PRIZE

The Club di Giulietta, our Verona-based organization that answers the thousands of letters addressed each year to Shakespeare´s most romantic heroine, awards the "Cara Giulietta" ("Dear Juliet") prize on Valentine´s Day to the most compelling letters received during the previous year.

The "Dear Juliet" prize recognizes the spontaneity of the writers who turn to Juliet to express their feelings, ask for advice or simply feel closer to this universal symbol of eternal love.

It has now become a famous event that has brought to Verona artists and stars such as Andrea Bocelli, Franco Zeffirelli, Giulietta Masina, Carla Fracci, Leonard Whiting.

"ROMEO AND JULIET IN THE COLLECTIVE IMAGINATION" COMPETITION AND EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY PAINTING

“Romeo and Juliet in the Collective Imagination”
exhibition of contemporary painting, Sala Birolli, Verona
from 13 to 28 September, 2008

Vittorino Andreoli, psychiatrist - President of the jury
Dario Ballini, painter
Michele Bauli, entrepreneur
Michelangelo Bellinetti, journalist
Daniela Drudi, President of the Cultural Commission, 1st District, Verona
Silvio Fuso, Curator, Ca’ Pesaro
Martino Mardersteig, printer
Paola Marini, Director, Civic Museums of Verona
Vera Meneguzzo, art critic
Erminia Perbellini, Cultural Attachč, Comune di Verona
Lorenzo Reggiani, journalist
Giancarlo Zucconelli, cartoonist

LETTERS TO JULIET

LETTERS TO JULIET: Celebrating Shakespeare´s Greatest Heroine, the Magical City of Verona, and the Power of Love

by Lise Friedman and Ceil Friedman
Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 2006


Juliet - she´s half of literature´s most famous couple, whose enduring legend draws millions of visitors to Verona every year. But that´s only part of the story. Since the 1930s, Juliet has received countless letters from writers all over the world, and amazingly, they´ve all received an answer. In LETTERS TO JULIET authors Lise Friedman and Ceil Friedman explore the stories behind these letters and the volunteers who have been answering them for more than 70 years.

The letters arrive by the thousands, in almost every language, and from writers of all ages. Most talk of love - love found and love lost, love sought and love remembered. They may have been written by teenagers in the throes of a first crush or by adults celebrating a hard-won love. The emotions and desires they express are timeless, and some reflect how a particular issue or social movement shaped the writer´s feelings and perspective.

Complete with selected letters, LETTERS TO JULIET explores the legend of Romeo and Juliet, the history of the monuments in Verona, and the story of the various secretaries who have been answering Juliet´s mail for decades. A 21st-century view of the city from an insider´s perspective completes this charming and magical book, which includes an envelope that readers may use to send their own letters to Juliet. In its entirety, LETTERS TO JULIET offers an enchanting look at one of literature´s most romantic figures, and the phenomenon of her legend.



LISE FRIEDMAN is the author of "First Lessons in Ballet", "Break a Leg! The Kids Guide to Acting and Stagecraft", and "Alvin Ailey Dance Moves!"
A former member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, she lives in New York City, where she writes frequently about performing arts.

CEIL FRIEDMAN is an art historian and translator who writes about contemporary art and Italian culture. She lives in Verona, where she collaborates with the Verona City Museums and other institutions in Italy.

THE "WRITING FOR LOVE" PRIZE

The "Writing for Love" Literary Prize is an international prize awarded to a book on the theme of love.

The winner is chosen by a jury of experts among a selection of novels about love, published during the previous year.

The prize-awarding ceremony takes place in June at the Accademia di Agricoltura Scienze e Lettere, Via Leoncino 6, Verona

JULIET´S BIRTHDAY

The city of Verona celebrates every year, on September 16, the birthday of its famous heroine.

The date is based on the "novella" by Luigi Da Porto (1531), the first writer who told the story of Romeo and Juliet. He was a captain in the service of the Venetian Republic and he claimed that one of his bowmen, named Pellegrino da Verona, told him the true story of two unfortunate young lovers who had lived at the beginning of the 14th century and belonged to two rival families, the Capulets and the Montagues.

His novel inspired a lot of other European writers, until it reached the peak of artistic expression in Shakespeare´s "Romeo and Juliet" (1596).