As of: March 8, 2024, 12:11 p.m
By: Richard Strobl
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The Juliet statue in Verona has been damaged by too much touching.
© Collage: IMAGO / Pond5 Images//IMAGO / Daniel Scharinger
Tourism probably has its next victim in Italy.
In Verona, the statue of Juliet is heavily influenced by a tradition popular with tourists.
Verona – Once again the alarm is being raised in Italy about damage caused by tourists and holidaymakers.
This time it hits Verona in northern Italy.
The Julia statue was damaged by too many touches - not for the first time.
Thousands of German holidaymakers in particular are drawn to Verona.
The “little Rome” in the north has the advantage that it can be reached comparatively quickly from southern Germany.
The city is also a popular excursion destination for Lake Garda holidaymakers.
The city is particularly famous for its arena in the historic core, where concerts and other events take place.
In addition, William Shakespeare also attracts enormous numbers of visitors because his work “Romeo and Juliet” is set in Verona.
Italy reports damage to tourist magnet: tradition of luck is probably the background
In the city center, holidaymakers will also find the “House of Juliet” - even if the English writer's story is probably fiction.
The “Casa di Giulietta” is a house from the 14th century.
The balcony, which is reminiscent of the famous scene in Shakespeare's work, was probably added later.
The famous balcony at the “Casa di Giulietta” in Verona.
It is said to have been added later.
© IMAGO/Zoonar.com/Elisabeth Knöbl-Zahn
Nevertheless, almost 1.5 million visitors make a pilgrimage to “Juliet's House” every year, as
southtirolnews.it
reports.
Most of them also visit the bronze statue of Juliet in the property's courtyard.
Touching them on the chest is said to bring happiness and love to couples.
But this tradition has dire consequences for the statue - again.
According to a report in local newspaper L'Arena, a hole was discovered on Julia's right breast.
Accordingly, it is currently only supposed to be a small hole, a few millimeters in size.
However, the damage is likely to spread.
A tourist touches the chest of the Juliet statue in Verona.
This is said to bring happiness to couples.
© IMAGO/Daniel Scharinger
However, the statue is only a copy.
The original by sculptor Nereo Costantini is in the Julia House museum.
This was set up in 1972.
But the visitors' touches had also damaged this statue.
And so it was decided to make a copy in 2014.
A lifespan of almost 50 years was assumed.
Now the first damage is showing after just ten years.
Italy is suffering from mass tourism: strict and sometimes bizarre rules are supposed to help
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Italy is famous worldwide for its culture, landscape and cuisine.
Millions of holidaymakers are therefore drawn to the country in southern Europe every year.
On the one hand, tourism is an important economic factor for the country and creates many jobs.
On the other hand, the masses of holidaymakers also cause destruction of nature and the ambience.
That's why people want to move away from mass tourism in many places.
South Tyrol recently imposed a bed ban.
The aim is to limit the number of visitors and protect culture and landscape.
Other popular holiday destinations are also groaning under mass tourism and sometimes resort to bizarre rules.