After its debut in Verona the 1964 summer season unfolded in open-air venues:
Turin, July 20; Fiesole, Teatro romano, July 30–August 2; Trieste, August 11–13; Urbino, September.
In June 1965, the production was revived with many changes to the cast and a significantly altered set design to accommodate indoor theatre stages. After its debut at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, June 3–4, the 1965 summer tour included performances in Paris, June 12–13, and Vienna, June 19–20.
The play continued its run during the 1965–66 season, with documented performances in the following cities: Rome, starting October 7 1965; Milan, February 11–21 1966, and again in April; Parma, March 4; Prato, March 7–8; Palermo, March 11; Naples, March 15–17; Brescia, March 26–27; Sassari, April 15; Cagliari, April 19–20. Additionally, the production toured undocumented locations such as Reggio Emilia, Modena, Ferrara, Pavia, Piacenza, Bergamo, San Remo, and Venice.
Finally, the production was presented in Moscow on September 10, 1966, as part of a tour that also featured "La Lupa".
The great international success of the London production of "Romeo and Juliet" encouraged Zeffirelli to adapt it for an Italian audience in celebration of the Shakespearean Fourth Centenary. The Italian version largely retained the staging and direction created in 1960 for the Old Vic, adapted for open-air venues. It was a highly dynamic interpretation, emphasizing the energy of very young actors. Following a long and widely publicized search for the leads, the roles were given to the already established Anna Maria Guarnieri, who had recently played Ophelia in Zeffirelli’s "Hamlet", and the near-debutant Giancarlo Giannini.
The reaction of the Italian critics was mixed. Zeffirelli was accused of overloading the text with excessive realism, aided by Gerardo Guerrieri’s very modern translation. However, audiences greeted the production with unanimous and resounding acclaim. This success was so significant that the play was revived a year later for the 1965–66 theatre season, with its set design adapted for indoor theatre stages. The debut of this revised version took place in Florence at the Teatro della Pergola.