Luigi Da Porto

Luigi Da Porto (Vicenza, 1485 - May 10, 1529) was an italian writer and storiographer, better known as the author of the novel with the story of Romeo and Juliet, later reprised by William Shakespeare for his famous drama. [citebook|title=The Cambridge History of Italian Literature|author= Peter Brand, Lino Pertile|year= 1996|publisher=Cambridge University Press|pages=227|id=ISBN 0521434920]

Da Porto wrote the novel in his villa in Montorso Vicentino near Vicenza. The title of the book was "Historia novellamente ritrovata di due nobili amanti" ("Newly found story of two noble lovers"), published about 1530. The origin of the story of the two unlucky lovers is disputed, however Da Porto probably took the inspiration from a tale by Masuccio Salernitano called "Mariotto e Ganozza", introducing many modern elements reprised by Shakespeare's drama.

Da Porto set the story in Verona (at that time, a strategic city for Venice), in the age of Bartolomeo della Scala (1301-1304). He created the names of Romeus (later Romeo) and Giulietta (soon to be Juliet in England) and even created the characters of Mercutio, Tybalt, Friar Laurence and Paris.

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