Juliet’s house, Verona, Veneto, Italy

Juliet’s house is a museum in a XII century building where they reconstructed the famous balcony, located near the historic center of Verona, Veneto, Italy. This house and balcony became famous thanks to the tragedy of William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, published in 1597. This house was built by the Dal Cappello family and we can see their carved coat of arms on the keystone of the arch internal court. This tragedy was located in Verona and from that moment, the city was considered one og the most romantic cities in the world and it was also called ‘the city of lovers of Verona’. From the nineteenth century, a legend takes place and the building was considered the house where lived Juliette Capulet, where his beloved Romeo Montescchi had declared his love at the foot of the balcony. From 1905, the building was converted into a museum and became a major tourist attraction. The historian Antonio Avena has the house restored completely between 1936 and 1940 and they add the balcony to the facade of the inner courtyard. Here you will find 16th and 17th century furniture, paintings and engravings showing the history of Romeo and Juliet, Renaissance ceramics and the costumes for Franco Zeffirelli’s film Romeo and Juliet (1968). The bronze statue of Juliet, made by Nereo Constantini, is at the end of the courtyard. There are walls covered with love vows and multicolored graffiti left by lovers at the entrance of the building.

Tips

If you want to take a picture with the statue of Juliet, go as early as possible because it is almost always full of public. If you want to leave your message or make a graffiti, you should do the same.

There is a tradition that says the statue of Juliet, gives good luck to lovers, you must touch the right breast.

Karlstein Castle, Czech Republic

Karlstein Castle (Hrad Karlštejn), located 30 km from Prague, is one of the most important castles in Bohemia. It was founded by Charles IV to preserve the jewels of the Imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire, the royal crown of the Bohemian states and the various holy relics. The original castle was of Gothic architecture but after being abandoned for over a century, many Gothic elements were replaced by others of the Renaissance type. It is known as the most visited castle of the Czech Republic. It has 5 levels with several towers and the large dungeon has 60m.

Tips

Prepare for a walk of about 20 minutes to get there, as the access by car stops in the parking of the main road, the rest of the ascent must be done on foot.

Do not miss the Saint Croix chapel in the upper tower. Generally it is necessary to make a reservation to visit it because of the great affluence of tourists. It has 4 partially glazed windows of gems, a cross of ogives and frescoes illustrating the life of Christ and 129 paintings representing saints signed by Theodoric.

You will also find a well with a depth of 80m where the bucket is raised and lowered by a wheel once driven by people who walked.

It is possible to book a guided tour in different languages. For visits in Czech, German or English it is not necessary.

Bahia Palace, Marrakech, Morocco

Bahia Palace is a palace of century XIXᵉ of eight hectares in Marrakech, Morocco. It is a masterpiece of Moroccan architecture, one of the major monuments of cultural heritage. It was built southeast of the medina of Marrakech between 1866 and 1867. It was built for Si Moussa, chamberlain of Sultan Hassan 1st of Morocco, at his death, his son, Ahmed Ben Moussa, had enlarged the southern part his father’s palace by the successive acquisition and glitzy development of large sets of neighboring houses. The palace takes its name from his favorite mistress, Bahia. From 1912, General Lyautey, Marshal of France, used it as his personal residence as well as the residence of French officers by adding chimneys, heating and electricity. It has about 150 lavishly decorated rooms. There are marble, wood paintings, stained glass windows, many patios and gardens with orange trees, banana trees, cypresses, hibiscus and jasmine. The Moroccan royal family of King Mohammed VI sometimes stay there in a large private party not open to the public.

Tips

The palace is open to visitors, at your visit ask for information because you can also attend concerts of Arab-Andalusian music and art exhibitions.
You can also ask for a guide to accompany you and tell the whole story which is very interesting.