Giovanna
Letters to Juliet, which stars the very in demand Amanda Seyfried, was released on DVD earlier this month and was inspired by real life secretaries of Juliet.
Over the years letters have flooded into Juliet from all over the world asking for her relationship advice. I caught up with Giovanna to talk about her job as a secretary of Juliet.
1. How did the Juliet club come about?
The Juliet Club started about 25 years ago. The first letters really began to arrive in 1937, when the keeper of the Juliet's grave and museum started to collect and to reply them.
Mr. Ettore Solimani was a very romantic and capable man, he had many intersting ideas concerning the site and the myth of Juliet. He began to anser the letters and signed himeslf as "Juliet's Secreatry". This tradition went on till today. We have been answering the letters since 1988.
2. How many of you are there?
Today we are 15 people (two men, but most women!)
3. Why do you do it?
When you join the Juliet Club you know that you have to deal with love problems and with thousands of letters. We like very much doing this job, we are all volunteers. Some of us like writing, other love psychology, someone love helping people.
I would say all these things together make us do it. We also love the character of Juliet and the work of Shakespeare. When you start doing this job you can't give up. Leters keep on arriving and people keep on asking for help!
4. Describe a day in the life of a real life secretary of Juliet
I get up and take my daughters to school. I come to the club's office every morning at 9 o.clock. First of all we open the e-mail which in these latest months are increasing more and more.
We also have a purple box full of "real" paper letters: letters that are waiting for an answer. We chose the letters according to the language (each of us has specialities...).
I reply from 10 to 20 letter a day. At 11 in the morning the postman arrives and bring us new letters. Some of them are simply addressed "Juliet, Verona" other have our real address, all letters pour here.
When I close the door, I start another life (We have all a double life!). In the afternoon I work at home doing some translations.
Once a week we meet here at the club to eat a pizza and talk about our work and life.
5. How many letters do you receive each week?
We receive about 6000 thousands letter every year. WIthout counting the small messages we find on the wall, in the house ar at the tomb of Juliet (which are thousands).
6. How did this tradition grow?
This tradition began in 1937 as I wrote above. The letters are increasing in these latest months especially after the film. When an article comes out reporting our activity many letters arrive from that country.
The number of the e-mails is obviously increasing too, but the letters by post are always more personal, handwritten, they contain flowers, drawnings, photos.
I think that we are among the latest receivers of letters nowadays. Everyone today writes messages, e-mails, sms, it is more and more rare writing letters on a piece of paper.
7. How has the film Letters To Juliet changed your Juliet Club?
The film has a huge success among people. Besides the story itself, people discover that there is a real Club which answers the letters and by the idea that you can write to Juliet and have an advice.
After the movie more and more letters are arriving. There are also many women who want to help. Especially from the States, from England, from Germany, from Canada we receive kind offers from young women who want to come here and become a Juliet's secretary.
8. Is there one letter that particularly stands out to you?
It is always difficult to quote only one letter as there are many so interesting. All the letters are real stories. I remember the letter from an American girl, but with Pakistan origin.
She was promised to an older relative who lives in France and who she never met. She was worried because she doesn't want to fight against her traditions and family, but what if her true love and her happy life were somewhere else out in the world and not in this arranged marriage?
Abeautiful and strange love story came from Spain last week.She is married with children, but she fell in love with a man online. They are so united, they can't live anymore without the other, they know that they are insane and that they will never meet, but they can't stop their love story.
Today I read a letter from a girl, she is worried for her mother as she divorced from her father 15 years ago and since then she have never dated again. She asks Juliet to send luck for her mother.
An old lady from Italy sent us a golden ring telling her wonderful love story. When she was young she was in love with a man, but he had to marry another woman. They lived anyway a long and secret story. Now he is dead and she desires that one of the Juliet's secretary wears that ring, one of us who needs luck in love or one who lived a similar story...
Her final message was: it's always worth living a love story, even if it is difficult and brings you pain, have the courage to fight and to live your love.
9. Which country does most of your letters come from?
The main letters come from US. Then Germany, Italy, England, Australia, China, Russia, Poland, etc. Also more exotic origin like Malaysia, Philippines, New Caledonia, Mongolia...
10. What address are the letters sent to?
Some of the letters are simply addressed "Juliet, Verona" , but our real address is "Juliet" , Club di Giulietta, Via Galilei 3, 37133 Verona, Italy
11. How true to life are the secretaries in the film to the real life secretaries?
The secretaries in the movie are nice and funny. They give the exact idea of how each letter is replied personally, we also hand write in the most cases, we go to the post to send the letters every now and then.
We think well before answering, we often discuss and talk to each other about strange or difficult letters. Maybe in the film they are few and rather "old". We are now 15, we are from 20 to 50 years old. Anyway we are all friends now, like in the movie.
In the movie you see that the letters are left at Juliet House on the wall, a secreatry goes and collect them all. IN reality the most letters arrive by post or e-mail. On the wall lovers and tourists only leave little mesages, they ask for a blessing, they want luck from Juliet.
12.Could you ever imagine the Juliet Club coming to an end?
I think that it would be impossible. People would anyway keep on writing to Juliet. Who would answer to all lovers all over the world?
Letter to Juliet is out on DVD now.
Letters to Juliet, which stars the very in demand Amanda Seyfried, was released on DVD earlier this month and was inspired by real life secretaries of Juliet.
Over the years letters have flooded into Juliet from all over the world asking for her relationship advice. I caught up with Giovanna to talk about her job as a secretary of Juliet.
1. How did the Juliet club come about?
The Juliet Club started about 25 years ago. The first letters really began to arrive in 1937, when the keeper of the Juliet's grave and museum started to collect and to reply them.
Mr. Ettore Solimani was a very romantic and capable man, he had many intersting ideas concerning the site and the myth of Juliet. He began to anser the letters and signed himeslf as "Juliet's Secreatry". This tradition went on till today. We have been answering the letters since 1988.
2. How many of you are there?
Today we are 15 people (two men, but most women!)
3. Why do you do it?
When you join the Juliet Club you know that you have to deal with love problems and with thousands of letters. We like very much doing this job, we are all volunteers. Some of us like writing, other love psychology, someone love helping people.
I would say all these things together make us do it. We also love the character of Juliet and the work of Shakespeare. When you start doing this job you can't give up. Leters keep on arriving and people keep on asking for help!
4. Describe a day in the life of a real life secretary of Juliet
I get up and take my daughters to school. I come to the club's office every morning at 9 o.clock. First of all we open the e-mail which in these latest months are increasing more and more.
We also have a purple box full of "real" paper letters: letters that are waiting for an answer. We chose the letters according to the language (each of us has specialities...).
I reply from 10 to 20 letter a day. At 11 in the morning the postman arrives and bring us new letters. Some of them are simply addressed "Juliet, Verona" other have our real address, all letters pour here.
When I close the door, I start another life (We have all a double life!). In the afternoon I work at home doing some translations.
Once a week we meet here at the club to eat a pizza and talk about our work and life.
5. How many letters do you receive each week?
We receive about 6000 thousands letter every year. WIthout counting the small messages we find on the wall, in the house ar at the tomb of Juliet (which are thousands).
6. How did this tradition grow?
This tradition began in 1937 as I wrote above. The letters are increasing in these latest months especially after the film. When an article comes out reporting our activity many letters arrive from that country.
The number of the e-mails is obviously increasing too, but the letters by post are always more personal, handwritten, they contain flowers, drawnings, photos.
I think that we are among the latest receivers of letters nowadays. Everyone today writes messages, e-mails, sms, it is more and more rare writing letters on a piece of paper.
7. How has the film Letters To Juliet changed your Juliet Club?
The film has a huge success among people. Besides the story itself, people discover that there is a real Club which answers the letters and by the idea that you can write to Juliet and have an advice.
After the movie more and more letters are arriving. There are also many women who want to help. Especially from the States, from England, from Germany, from Canada we receive kind offers from young women who want to come here and become a Juliet's secretary.