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Rossella Lorenzi |

March 20, 2009 -- The House of Juliet, with the legendary balcony where Juliet Capulet is said to have pined for Romeo, will soon be used as a venue for weddings, city officials in Verona have announced.

The 13th century family home of the Cappello family who, according to legend, were the Capulets of Shakespeare's tragic play, has been always a place of pilgrimage for lovers from all over the world.

The tradition for couples is to first stroke the right breast of the languid bronze statue of Juliet in the courtyard -- the gesture is believed to bring good luck -- then leave love notes on the house's walls and Gothic wooden doors.

Now the city wants to strengthen its romantic reputation by offering love-struck couples the chance to tie the knot in the courtyard right below the famous stone balcony.

"We are simply promoting Verona's reputation as the city of love," Daniele Polato, the city official who made the proposal, told Discovery News.