Since we started this little podcast, we have been spending quite a substantial amount of time telling you the stories that made our remarkable homeland what it is. We firmly believe that the best way to know the heart and soul of a place is through the stories, real or imagined, that its people tell each other. There are some stories, though, that are so powerful that they become firmly embedded into the psyche of an entire planet. The sad tale of the star-crossed lovers from Verona is definitely one of them. Since when it became a global hit, the story told by the immense William Shakespeare has attracted a lot of attention. There are a few scholars that say that the Bard actually "borrowed" it from similar stories that had been circulating for a long time way south, in that odd peninsula in the middle of the Mediterranean. We had a look around and found two different stories coming from Florence and Siena that look A LOT like the tale told so beautifully by the English master. That's why this week What's Up Tuscany will tell you how Ginevra and Giannozza might have been the real inspiration behind the character of Juliet Capulet. Were these young ladies real? While the Juliet from Siena comes from a book published a century before Shakespeare, the Florentine tale could be one of the most successful gossip stories of all times, powerful enough to transcend hearsay and enter the Pantheon of Tuscan legends. Do you like this kind of episodes, more focused on the stories themselves than on the way they impacted Tuscany? Let us know by dropping us a note on social media or an email. All feedback is greatly appreciated! Remember, we have no other way of growing.
Email: podcast@larno.it
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larno.it
Twitter: @arno_it / @WhatsupTuscany

LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY)
https://www.firenzetoday.it/social/halloween-firenze-storia-ginevra-amieri.html
https://www.conoscifirenze.it/personaggi-fiorentini/585-Ginevra-degli-Amieri.html
https://www.florencecity.it/lamore-vince-sempre-ginevra-degli-almieri/
http://lafirenzedefiorentini.blogspot.com/2015/12/ginevra-la-sposa-fantasma.html
https://francescarachelvalle.com/2015/09/02/ginevra-degli-almieri-la-sposa-che-visse-due-volte/
http://insolitaitalia.databenc.it/storia/mariotto-e-ganozza-romeo-e-giulietta/
https://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Il_Novellino/Parte_quarta/Novella_XXXIII
https://arzyncampo.altervista.org/257963465-2/

BACKGROUND MUSIC
Pipe Choir - Bom Bom Breakthrough (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - Almost Time (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - A Dark Blue Arc (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - Followers (Instrumental)
Pipe Choir - The Opening Closing
Incompetech - Leopard Print Elevator
Wayne John Bradley - Blues Rock Original Instrumental
All released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-bom-bom-breakthrough-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipe-choir-almost-time-instrumental-creative-commons
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pc-one-a-dark-blue-arc-creative-commons-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipechoir-followers-instrumental
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/p-c-iii-the-opening-closinginstrumentalcreative-commons
https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500077
https://soundcloud.com/ayneohnradley/blues-rock-original-instrumentalcreative-commons
http://www.pipechoir.com/