Love Of A Lifetime.

Byline: GIA KOURLAS Photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

The story of this star-cross'd couple begins in fair Verona, where Juliet, in a heart-stopping array of dresses, falls head-over-heels for who else but Romeo. Oh, Romeo.

on cupid's wings

When ballerina Alessandra Ferri decided it was time to retire from American Ballet Theatre, she left a tremendous parting gift for her fans: a real-life Romeo. Handpicked to be her partner in her farewell performance at the Metropolitan Opera House last year, the dashing 33-year-old dancer Roberto Bolle, a star of Milan's La Scala, took to the massive stage as if he had grown up on it. "There is something very young and very pure about Robertowhich is hard to believe when you see how strong he is," Ferri says. "But in his heart, there is something that is very soft, and all those qualities are also true of Romeo."

More of an elegant, lyrical dancer than a virtuoso, Bolle possesses an inherent sensuality tempered by an aura of extreme refinement. Then there is his remarkable heightsix-three. No wonder he's in demand with so many world-class ballerinas. For Bolle, partnering seems to come instinctively. "It's a quality, just as if you have long legs and arms," he says.

"Roberto has the ability to imagine what a woman needs to do," says Kevin McKenzie, the artistic director of ABT, where Bolle will perform Romeo and other roles in the upcoming season. "He can picture it in his own body, and therefore he's not helping her do something, he's doing it with her. It becomes seamless."

Offstage, Bolle's modeling appearancesfor Salvatore Ferragamo and the Gaphave garnered him just as much attention. "The ballet world is really small, and if we want dance to survive, we have to use these opportunities," he says. A goodwill ambassador for Unicef, he also has his own touring group (Roberto Bolle and Friends will make its U.S. debut early next year at the Rose Theater in New York). "I don't have much free time at all," he admits. "It's not easy, but in the end I get so much back."