Romeo and Juliet balcony to be opened up for weddings

The balcony that inspired William Shakespeare’s fictional play, Romeo and Juliet is to be opened up for weddings the tourist board for the Italian city of Verona have said. It is hoped that the new plan will boost tourism to Verona, the setting for Romeo and Juliet.

In a statement from the councillor of tourism for Verona, Daniele Potala said: “We’ll be offering tourist packages which include weddings, just like Las Vegas does,”

And added that: “It’s a way of using the city’s artistic heritage to boost tourism”.

The balocony, which is situated on a 14th Century building, is believed to have been owned by the Cappello family, possibly the inspiration for the Capulet family in the famous play; although some historians say that there is little evidence to back it up.

The venue will be available for weddings next month and the scheme will be known as ‘Sposami a Verona’, which means ‘Marry Me in Verona’. It will not be cheap however, with EU nationals being charged €800, non-EU couples paying €1000; local couples will pay a comparatively cheaper €600 for the privilege.