Letters to Juliet: From Verona to Siena

Sophie arrives in Verona for a pre-honeymoon with her chef fiancé Victor, and the film introduces the city with establishing shots that include the fortified Ponte Scaligero over the Adige. The bridge was most likely built in 1354–1356 by Cangrande II della Scala, was destroyed by retreating German troops in April 1945, and was rebuilt between 1949 and 1951. Victor spends the trip on research for his soon-to-open restaurant, which leaves Sophie free to wander the city and find the story that drives the film.

Visitor guidance: A public bridge over the Adige, open to walkers.

Thousands of letters to Juliet are left in the courtyard each year, and a group called the Secretaries of Juliet collects and answers them. Here Sophie discovers an unanswered letter written in 1957 by a girl named Claire Smith, and replies to it. A fake wall was added for the film, but the tradition of leaving notes is real. The house is Verona's most visited monument; the courtyard is free, while the house itself has an entrance fee.

Visitor guidance: Courtyard entry is free; the house, with its balcony, has an entrance fee.

Claire arrives in Verona and sets out to find her lost love, but there are seventy-four Lorenzo Bartolinis in the area. One stop on the search is the palace of a wealthy Count Lorenzo, played by Fabio Testi. The film used Villa Arvedi at Cuzzano, in Grezzana, the largest Veneto villa in the Verona province. Its owner, Paolo Arvedi, appears in a small cameo.

Visitor guidance: The villa is used as a conference and events centre; check access before going.

The trio need a base while they tick off the various Lorenzos, and the film uses a real luxury hotel: the Relais Borgo Scopeto, a few miles north of Siena. The days of searching pass, with Sophie and Charlie growing closer, until they find one Lorenzo who has died, saddening Claire. After the film's fake wall in Verona, this one is very real: a luxurious hotel you can stay in.

Visitor guidance: It is a working hotel in the Siena countryside.

Between searches, Sophie and Charlie go sightseeing in Siena itself and stroll through its great square. Piazza del Campo is the main public space of the historic centre, a scallop shell-shaped piazza surrounded by the Palazzo Pubblico and its Torre del Mangia, with the Fonte Gaia at the northwest edge. Film fans may recognise it from Quantum of Solace as well.

Visitor guidance: A public square, open at all hours.

On the Piazza San Giovanni, at the eastern face of the black and white marble Duomo di Siena, Sophie and Charlie have their ice cream fight in front of the Battistero di San Giovanni. It is a light moment in a story about two people slowly softening toward each other. The baptistery itself is located underneath the eastern bays of the choir of the cathedral.

Visitor guidance: A public square in front of the baptistery, on the eastern side of the cathedral.