The hum of the Piazza Delle Erbe market fading behind me, I walk down Verona’s Via Cappello to a weathered stone arch graffitied with love hearts. Through the gate, above a small courtyard, is the balcony where Juliet supposedly was serenaded by Romeo.

Dozens of tourists have lined up for their “wherefore art thou Romeo” moment beneath the balcony, perhaps unaware of who, ultimately, we have to thank for the world’s best-known romance.