Embark on a journey to Verona and meet the dedicated volunteers preserving the legacy of one of Shakespeares greatest heroines
The House of Juliet also known as Casa di Gillette” is Italian, is more than just an old building in Verona Italy It is believed to have once belonged to the Cappello family which according to the legend inspired the famous Capulet family in English playwright William Shakespeare’s play Romen & haliet This is the very house where Gulietta Capuleti the supposed inspiration behind, the tragic heroine of Shakespeares play, is said to have livest
A global love connection
But the House of Juliet is not just a tounst attraction it is a hub of heartwarming connections from around the world Thousands of people lene letters addressed to Juliet. expressing their deepest feelings about love, relationship and life when they visit this medieval 13th Century palace Some letters are placest in a postbox at the house itself. while others are simply addressed to Juliet, Italy and sent from all corners of the globe
Juliet Club
The Juliet Club, a hidden gem tucked away in the backstreets of Verona since 1972 is a place where the timeless spirit of romance thrives. The dubs heart and soul lie in the dedicated committer of a dozen local women who affectionately call themselves The Secretaries of Juliet These volunteers take on the heartwanning task of responding to the staggering 50.000 letters Juliet receives annually. They diligently strive to answer every letter, even those written in languages beyond Italian or English, seeking local speakers to help bridge the communication gap. Stepping into the workroom fillest with boxes of handwritten letters, the secretaries embark on their mission to provide solace, wisdom, and advice on matters of the heart
This unique experience is not just limited to the dedicated team: anyone can be a part of Juliets legacy A visitor can drop in for a day and become Juliet’s secretary reading and responding to letters that resonate with their hearts. Each response is penned on official Club di Giulietta stationery and signed off as Secretary of Juliet.”
The first secretary of Juliet
The tradition of answering Juliet’s letters has a history dating back to the 1930s when the guardian of Juliets grave in Verona, Ettore Solimani, first began replying to letters left for the literary character. Handwritten letters have retained their allure, despite the prevalence of modem communication methods. The clubs archive stands as a treasure trove of countless love stories and a testament to the enduring power of love expressed through pen and paper
The Juliet Club and its Secretaries carry forward the legacy of Shakespeare’s iconic character, extending love hope, and empathy to countless hearts seeking solace and connection.
Did the Milky Way shape-shift?
For the longest time, astronomers have been trying to unlock the mystery surrounding our Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers have known that our galaxy looks like a spiral ever since the 1950s. Galaxies are classified based on their shapes and physical features. activity in their central regions, and so on. The presence of spiral anns in our galaxy has placed it in the category of spiral galaxies
What are spiral galaxies?
Galaxies are generally categorised as spiral (like our Milky Way). elliptical and irregular. Spiral galaxies have winding spiral arms. It makes them look like pinwheels and the cosmic entities comprise stars, gas, and dust.
Their spiral arms are composed of gas and dust from which bright younger stars are born. Stars are actively being formed in the spiral galaxies. The younger stars are formed in the arms that are rich with gas while the older stars occur in the halo, in the disk and within the bulge. And this is happening in our neighbouring galaxies as well The spiral galaxies are further grouped into normal spirals and barred spirals. A barred spiral galaxy has ribbons of stars, gas, and dust running across their centres. Our galaxy as well as Andromeda galaxy belong to the subtype of a barred spiral galaxy But here is a new spin on the story. New observations have shown that our galaxy was not always a spiral Reporting in the scientific journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, astronomer Alister Graham observed that galaxies evolve from one shape to another. He used old and new observations to show how the evolution of galaxies from one shape to another takes place. This process is called galactic speciation. The clashes and subsequent mergers with other galades result in the process of cosmic evolution.
So our galaxy transformed from a dust-poor lenticular galway to the spiral galaxy we know it as today. In future, between 4 billion and 6 billion years, our galaxy is all poised to merge with its neighbouring galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy Following this collision and merger, the daughter galaxy resulted will be a dust rich lenticular galaxy, with an intact disk but without the spiral structure.
Picture Credit: Google