Kainz, Josef and Anna von Hochenburger perform Romeo and Juliet around the year 1895
During these days I have been asking myself, among thousands of other things (of the type, do I really believe in chance? Where do the things that are forgotten go? What happened to my vocation as an astronaut?), why when I travel I suddenly find myself trapped in relationships of ideas, characters and events that seem connected by a defective brain.
I'm used to it, but sometimes it's hard for me to explain it to others. Let's see if not how do you eat that being in Havana he has thought more than ever about the tragedies of William Shakespeare…
FROM HAVANA WITH LOVE
Well, it was the fault of another Englishman, Winston Churchill , whose favorite cigars were Romeo and Juliet , which meet 145 years of history a. It seems that, since his visit to the island in 1946, his name was not only used on Habanos rings, but also gave its name to the best known of the brand's vitolas: Churchills from Romeo and Juliet.
The decision to name the fictional veronese lovers It arose in a factory located in Mariano, a dilapidated and barely paved neighborhood , where even the most genuinely Cuban driver has to ask for instructions from one of the thousands of people who transit or wait, or both, on the sidewalks of the island's streets.
Churchill's favorite cigars
After the rattle and the dirt roads we finally arrived. The breeze filters through doors and windows open to the street of a renovated building , which was an old convent at the beginning of the 20th century. The heat is sticky, like the smell of ammonia and chocolate from tobacco leaves that are being twisted and then turned into cigars.
Together with the 200 employees of Romeo and Juliet , we share the experience of listening to the reader, whose traditional position was key in the process of making cigars, being the one in charge of encouraging the cigar makers with the reading of classics of literature while they rolled the tobacco leaves to make the cigars. pure. That is precisely where the name of cigars comes from, from Shakespeare's drama, from his reading aloud.
Love is a smoke that comes out of the mist of sighs; dissipating, a fire that sparks in the eyes of lovers; being suffocated, a sea nourished by the tears of lovers. What else is it? It is a very sensible madness, a gall that suffocates, sweetness that preserves.
VERONA, THE BALCONY OF LOVE
And as the smoke of the words my mind teleports to Verona , where one of the most popular tourist attractions is the Juliet's house , where according to Shakespeare's history the most romantic love story in the world took place. This palace from the beginning of the 13th century, which belonged to the Dal Capello family, is located at Via Cappello 23 , a few meters from the Piazza delle Erbe in the old town of Verona.
Apparently, it was the date and the surname "Capello" that triggered the popular legend that this house belonged to the “Capuletti” family from the story of William Shakespeare . But the Gothic window and balcony that so identifies with the story of Romeo and Juliet were not built until the beginning of the 20th century. Under the balcony there is a bronze statue representing Juliet and, according to legend, if she touches her right breast, one will find true love, as in The engaged princess by William Goldman.
Upon entering, it is surprising to see the multitude of cards with messages of love written by visitors, which flood the walls and corridors of the house. There are so many cards with messages of love that the City Council has to remove them twice a year, on Valentine's Eve and on September 17, the date of Juliet's birthday.
Verona, Italy
But Verona has more to offer; the importance and historical value of its buildings and monuments is the magnitude of its cathedral or Duomo, the Barbieri palace or the famous Verona Arena -a Roman amphitheater where great plays and classical music concerts are performed- has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
But not only art lives man, not even the lover, so Locanda di Castelvecchio It is a wonderful choice for a romantic dinner. It is one of the oldest gourmet establishments in the city. Dating from 1831, it retains its classic charm, thanks to its decoration based on Renaissance art, sculptures and antique furniture . It offers local cuisine, from homemade tagliatelle and risotto all'Amarone to prime beef or steaks.
In Verona you will find, obviously, the most romantic hotels on the planet, such as The Giulietta Suite , in the center, a few steps from Casa de Julieta and Piazza delle Erbe . Or the most romantic place in the world, the Charme Il Sogno di Giulietta Relay , where in the afternoon, after closing to the public, you can privately access the Patio de Romeo y Julieta. All rooms at the Relais are decorated with period furniture and art objects.
WE GO BACK TO CHURCHILL: FROM HAVANA TO 20 MINUTES FROM OXFORD
In the winter of 1945, Winston Churchill, at the age of 71, on medical prescription decided to take a few months off in Miami . The then president of Cuba, Ramon Grau San Martin , invited him to visit Havana, which he did aboard a plane donated by President Truman. From the airport they would take you to the National Hotel and from there to a short interview at the Presidential Palace. But this was not the first trip to the island, but 50 years before, Churchill had been there as a correspondent during the war of independence against Spain.
Although Churchill was not supposed to speak in public during his trip, many people had spontaneously gathered outside the Presidential Palace and he was persuaded to go out on the balcony and give a short speech to the public, which ended in a way that delighted Havanans. gathered there, saying in Spanish: "Long live the Pearl of the Antilles!"
Churchill finished winning the hearts of Cubans when at another point in his visit, referring to his love for Cuban cigars, he said: “Cuba will always be on my lips”.
Cuban National Hotel
The one who would be the British politician, statesman, historian and writer, known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II was born in the blenheim palace , located just 20 minutes from Oxford. It is famous for being the only "non-royal" UK residence that can officially be called a palace. And it is that unlike Spain in the UK only the residences of the royal family can be called palaces.
Baroque in style, the birthplace of the former prime minister dates back to the 18th century, it has fabulous gardens designed by the renowned landscape gardener Capability Brown and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
You can visit the room where Churchill was born or the library, with more than ten thousand books. Would there be any of Shakespeare? Well, probably yes because, according to experts, the former prime minister could recite large portions of Shakespeare's work from memory, including Romeo and Juliet . According to the writer Darrell Holley, there is no English author Churchill alludes to as often as William Shakespeare, both by formal quotations and well-known phrases almost hidden in his text.
Beyond the Palace, one of the great attractions of Blenheim is its extensive parks and gardens created by the brilliant lancelot brown , better known as Capability Brown, regarded as the father of English landscape gardening. He also promoted the construction of the Great Lake and the planting of thousands of trees.
Dior and his idyll with Blenheim
NO TWO WITHOUT THREE: LE LOCLE, SWITZERLAND, VILLA FAVRE-JACOT
But the apparently unconnected relationship that has led me to narrate this trip does not end here, because one more unknown remains to be introduced into the equation: a Swiss watch brand.
Zenith, located in Le Locle, Switzerland , near Neuchatel , has created the first special edition of elite watches , based on an imaginative and romantic interpretation of his classic model Elite Moonphase in two versions: Romeo in midnight blue and juliet in passion red. The new limited edition is the latest chapter in an alliance begun with Cohiba in 2016.
Elite Moonphase: Romeo and Juliet
Since Georges Favre-Jacot gave birth to the idea of bringing together all the crafts involved in creating a watch under one roof in 1865 (for which he built a complex of 19 buildings that make up the current headquarters of Zenith, and incidentally commissioned a house from Le Corbusier with the bricks that were left over) I would never imagine that the manufacture was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 200 9, among other things because the organization was created 80 years later...
From the windows of the first floor, in the distance, the neoclassical-style house where he lived can be seen a little further up the mountain. Georges Favre Jacot, designed by Le Corbusier before being recognized as one of the most influential architects in history in 1912.
Dates from the same year as the Maison Blanche, his first solo house, known as the villa Jeanneret-Perret , which is located in La Chaux-de-Fonds, his hometown. Perhaps what is not so well known about the brilliant architect is that he liked to surround himself with love, if not true, at least opulent. Although married, he apparently had a legion of lovers, with Josephine Baker on the podium . He coincided with her on a cruise returning from South America, and her trip resulted in a lot of drawings of her, dressed and also naked, that Le Corbusier included after her in his book Accuracies (1930) to talk about concave and convex curves...
Curves of flesh and skin, not like those of this mental journey through time with which we have built scenarios from the past.