Verona coronavirus sparks love from afar

Two modern star-crossed lovers have proved romance is still thriving in Verona, despite weeks of lockdown.

Verona couple Paola Agnelli and Michele D’Alpaos, who fell in love across their neighbouring balconies in Italy.

Verona has been a byword for passion­’s power to overcome all ­obstacles since William Shakespeare’s Romeo declared his love to Juliet on her balcony.

Centuries later, two modern star-crossed lovers have proved romance is still thriving in the city, despite weeks of lockdown, by starting a love affair from the balconies­ of their neighbouring blocks of flats.

Michele D’Alpaos, 38, first ­noticed Paola Agnelli, 39, last month as they emerged on to their facing terraces to listen to music at 6pm — a daily appointment of the kind kept by Italians across the country to buoy their spirits during the coronavirus outbreak.

The live music was provided by Agnelli’s sister, a professional violini­st who lives with her and chose that day to play Queen’s We Are the Champions as neighbours applauded.

“My sister and I live with our mother on the sixth floor, Michele is across the street on the seventh floor, and the music was like an arrow fired by Eros,” Agnelli said.

D’Alpaos said: “I found out who Paola was from my sister, who knows her from the gym, tracked her down on Instagram, we started messaging until three in the morning and love was born.” He added: “Our balconies are too far apart to hear each other, but we talk on the phone and look at each other.”

To prove his affection, D’Al­paos erected a large banner on the roof of his building with “Paola” written on it. They have asked a DJ who places speakers on the ­balcony of his third-floor flat at 6pm every day to dedicate songs to each other. “People have been making detours­ on the way to dump their rubbish to come and look at the banner and us at 6pm after word got out,” said D’Alpaos, who works in IT at a Verona bank.

“With all the death around at the moment, this has brought a ray of sunshine and has made people happy,” Agnelli said.

D’Alpaos said the two had lived opposite each other most of their lives, but apart from a chance meeting on the street a year ago, when his sister had introduced them, they had never met.

Now, the pair have agreed not to hold surreptitious meetings on street corners, even if observing social distancing. “Our first date when this will be over will be sitting on a bench in the nearby park. But our relationship is magic and we can wait,” D’Alpaos said.

The times