Where Art Thou, Lorenzo?

There is a place in Verona, Italy called Casa di Giulietta where the lovelorn go to leave notes on the wall next to Juliet's balcony asking for love advice. These letters are collected at the end of each day and answered by a group of real-life employees who regard themselves as Juliet's secretaries.

Such is the idea of director Gary Winick's postcard-pretty romantic comedy, Letters to Juliet. Its premise alone is enough to tell you that this is a chick flick through and through, but here's the surprise- despite its predictability, it actually is pretty likable. And indeed what's there not to like? It has stunning views of the Veneto and Tuscan countryside; it stars the radiant Amanda Seyfried (you'll probably remember her from Mamma Mia!); and it's about second chances in love, which anyone who has ever been in love can certainly relate to.




At the heart of its story is the American girl Sophie, a magazine (The New Yorker by the way!) fact-checker on a pre-honeymoon holiday in Italy with her restaurateur fiancé, Victor who is primarily interested in exploring the area for its culinary ingredients to use in his restaurant- so on one of those trips, Sophie decides to go visit the Casa di Giulietta on her own. There, she finds a letter written 50 years before by a young English girl who had fallen in love with a dashing Italian while on holiday, but because of family constraints she had gone back to England without even saying goodbye.

Sophie feels compelled to respond and her reply brings the elderly Claire (a luminous Vanessa Redgrave) to Italy, accompanied by her grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan). Claire wants to find her old beau Lorenzo Bartolini and so they set off on a road trip to visit the 74 men of the same name in the Siena area to locate her special one. Will Claire find the love she lost? Will Sophie find new love? Will Charlie fall in love? You'd probably already know the answers to all three questions.




A touching, romantic and beautiful movie. Even though you knew how it was going to end you slowly got completely wrapped up in the characters at each turn of events. The schmaltz, melodrama and cheese are all put together in a totally engrossing romance.

Anyway, the Tuscan scenery is staggeringly beautiful. And watching real-life couple Redgrave and Nero walk hand in hand is very heart-warming. These two first fell in love during the mid-60's while filming Camelot. This cost Vanessa Redgrave her first marriage, but the lovers did not marry until 2006. Just to prove that it is never too late for love.