Andreia comforts broken hearts of those who send messages written in Portuguese
As requested by the sender, the message reached one of Julieta’s “secretaries”. In Brazil, more specifically in the interior of São Paulo, for Andreia Caetano, from Jacareí (82 km from São Paulo).
The 45-year-old teacher is the only volunteer living in Brazil (the other lives in Italy) who collaborates with the Club di Giulietta for letters written in Portuguese. Created in 1972, the group of volunteers responds to messages of love sent to Verona.
Every year, around 8.000 letters are sent to the club from five continents, most of them from the United States. From Brazil, 400 letters are sent each year. In addition to the two Brazilians, there are 20 other Portuguese speakers in the group.
Club di Giulietta responds to letters from lovers from all over the world. Photo: Gabriel Cabral/Folhapress
A volunteer since July 2015, Andreia underwent an interview and a trial period. “In the first letters I already felt a lot of emotion and the responsibility to help, with a word of affection, a person who is going through a moment of suffering, of pain”, said she, married for 22 years and mother of two children.
She receives messages that arrive by email or digital copies of letters left by tourists at Julieta's house.
“To love someone, you first need to have self-love. When we notice any abusive relationship, we have an obligation to alert the person.”
Not all letters, he says, are of suffering and pain. “Many report the joy of finding great true love. One that touched me a lot, for example, was this one [transcribed above], who, despite not having the love reciprocated, is grateful for the experience of loving. This feeling of gratitude is very beautiful.”
Andreia also remembers the story of a lady who left a teenage love to move to another city, where she ended up getting married and raising children.
“After she changed, they never saw each other again. After many years, she became alone and returned to her hometown to visit family. There, she met her boyfriend, who had not married because he still loved her. The two got married and are still together today.”
In addition to Andreia, Club Di Giulietta counts on the collaboration of other volunteers who respond to letters that arrive in Portuguese, not just from Brazil.
“We have a Brazilian volunteer who lives in Verona and, throughout the year, around 20 come by and help us respond to messages. Those that arrive by email, we forward to Andreia, in Brazil”, said Elena Marchi, one of the coordinators.
The club was founded in 1972, but fans' relationship with the character began earlier, when they deposited letters in a tomb that was visited by admirers of Romeo and Juliet. In the 1930s, a guardian of the tomb began to answer the letters, strengthening the imagination of fans of Shakespeare's work.
Around 75% of the letters are from women. “The majority are people who are looking for great love, or suffering from unrequited love, or because they ended a relationship. There are also many letters that report happiness and gratitude for finding love.”
Tourists visiting the city can also take advantage of the opportunity to volunteer at the club, just like actress Amanda Seyfried's character in the film “Letters to Juliet” (2010).
According to Elena, after the film, the number of letters and volunteers increased considerably.
“We sign in Juliet’s name, trying to give people hope, support and advice. All letters are answered. It may take a few months, due to the huge amount of letters, but they all have answers”, says Elena.
The address to send a love letter and wait for a response from Julieta's team is:
Juliet's Club
Vicolo Santa Cecilia 9, 37121, Verona Italy, P.IVA 02765640236
Email: [email protected]
By Tânia Campelo / Folhapress
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