An Italian soccer player is the first person to marry under the balcony where, legend has it, Romeo wooed Juliet.
Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi conducted Monday's wedding between Luca Ceccarelli, who plays for Hellas Verona, and his Juliet — girlfriend Irene Lanforti — in the 14th-century Casa di Giulietta, or House of Juliet.
The idea is part of a campaign by Verona, where William Shakespeare set his tale of star-crossed lovers, to foster its image as a romantic city.
The House of Juliet is one of the top tourist spots in a city that draws about 1.2 million visitors annually. The building belonged to the Cappello family, traditionally identified with the Capulets, leading to the folklore that the model for Shakespeare's fictional character once lived there.