Forget flowers and chocolates. This Valentine’s Day, you can get the love of your life something truly special: A stay at Juliet’s real house in Verona, Italy.
Just in time for the holiday, Airbnb announced that one lucky lovestruck couple will get to be the first to spend the night in the historic house that has long been believed to be the real home of Shakespeare’s Juliet.
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“Juliet’s House is the most important museum in the city of Verona, attracting millions of visitors every year,” Federico Sboarina, mayor of Verona Municipality, said in a statement. “Partnering with Airbnb brings the widely known Shakespearian myth of Romeo and Juliet to life in a way never before offered. We are excited to promote our cultural heritage, share traditions that were previously safeguarded, and bring international visibility to the city of Verona.”
The home, known as Casa di Giulietta, has drawn thousands of romantics who come to see its iconic balcony. And now, one winner and their partner will be given unprecedented access to the 13th-century building, including the balcony.
During the stay, the couple will be waited on by a personal butler and treated to a romantic candlelit dinner prepared by two-Michelin-star chef Giancarlo Perbellini. After the feast, the couple will retire to Juliet’s medieval-themed bedroom, which happens to feature “Letto di Giulietta” (a.k.a. the original bed used in Zeffirelli’s classic 1960s movie, Romeo and Juliet).
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“Every day, countless new connections are made across the world by people traveling on Airbnb, creating new friendships and sometimes new love. Since 2008, an estimated one million guests have hosted their weddings on Airbnb,” Giacomo Trovato, general manager for Italy at Airbnb, shared in a statement. “This stay will give one couple the unique chance to celebrate their love in what is possibly the most romantic home in the history of literature”
For a chance to win, applicants must pen their own letter to Juliet, sharing their love story and why they and their partner would be the perfect guests. Entries can be submitted at airbnb.com/juliet until 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 2, 2020.