The launch of Romeo and Juliet: A Novel is fast approaching so it’s time to start sharing some background material. First up… a few real-life locations you’ll find in the narrative, some of which were previewed on Twitter earlier. I took these photos in February 2015 when I was starting work on this story.
And beneath you’ll find a map of the locations. Click the icon in the top right hand corner to get a much larger version which I think will even let you walk the cobbles of Verona through Street View (though it’s not the same as the real thing 😉).
It’s been a long journey. We’re nearly there…
Doge’s Palace, Venice, home to the master of Escalus.
Thieves and prostitutes roamed the Arena.
Crypt, San Francesco al Corso
The campanile where the Marangona bell tolls.
Rotonda di San Lorenzo, Mantua, where an apothecary waits
Once the Roman forum, the Piazza Erbe is where the story starts.
Lion of Venice rules over the Piazza Erbe.
‘Juliet’s tomb’, San Francesco al Corso
Sottoriva, where Tybalt and Romeo will meet.
The Arena, Verona. In 1499 a dangerous place to lurk.
San Zeno in the crypt
The starry ceiling of San Zeno, a place for a young woman to lose herself.
This bridge from the Castelvecchio was the only way out during times of plague.
Cangrande’s sword now sits on the desk of Escalus.
Portrait of a young girl, Castelvecchio
Inside San Zeno
Shrine in the dark street of Sottoriva
San Zeno, Wheel of Fortune
Mantua, where a murderer is exiled.
Monumental quarter, Verona
