Visited and touched by hundreds of visitors and “passionate” tourists, the bronze statue of Juliet, located in the Italian city of Verona, showed wear and tear on its structure as a result of “excessive caressing”.
According to the newspaper “L'Arena”, a hole was noticed in the right breast of the Juliet's House attraction, a museum that pays homage to the famous tragedy written by William Shakespeare and which for years has been visited by thousands of people who caress the statue's breast like symbol of hope to have eternal love.
The work, which is displayed in the courtyard of the famous balcony, is the identical copy of the original statue, which is preserved inside the Casa Museu, created in 1972 by the sculptor Nereo Costantini.
The sculptures were replaced in 2014 due to wear and tear. At the time, the operation cost around 15 thousand euros and was financed by Società Cattolica Assicurazioni.
In addition to the famous courtyard, where there is a statue of Shakespeare's “heroine”, “Juliet's House” houses pieces that make reference to the work “Romeo and Juliet”, which is set in Verona, and its various film adaptations, especially that of Franco Zeffirelli.
Last year, the city council of Verona, in northern Italy, announced a plan to charge admission to “Juliet’s balcony”, in one of its attempts to deal with mass tourism, given that the crowds of visitors in the narrow streets of the area are a frequent source of complaints from residents.
The ticket to the museum costs six euros (R$33), but access to the courtyard with the balcony and the statue is usually free. (Handle)
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