Italy declares war on the 'love padlocks' blighting famous tourist sights

Add to My Stories Share Attaching a padlock to a bridge and throwing the key into the river below is seen as a symbol of enduring love in Italy, but the craze is threatening some of the country's most famous bridges.The unusual trend, which began in Rome after the publication of the 2007 best-seller Ho Voglia De Te (I Want You) which saw a young couple attach a padlock to the city's Milvian Bridge as a sign of their love, has spread to some of the country's most visited sights.But the Italian authorities say the adornments are threatening historic attractions as their rust can damage stone and paintwork.

Bridge of Love: Thousands of padlocks have been hung on bridges by romantic couples throughout Europe after the craze began on Rome's Tiber bridge

Locked in: A couple add their padlock to hundreds of others on a bridge over the river Tiber in Rome

Couples are writing their names on padlocks and attaching them not just to Milvian Bridge, but also to the picturesque Rialto bridge in Venice and even the Verona house where Romeo supposedly first seduced Juliet. Recently, lampposts on the Milvian Bridge became so heavy under the weight of the padlocks that they nearly gave way.And now Italian newspaper La Repubblica has denounced the passionate perpetrators, calling for hefty fines and even jail terms.Tourism chiefs are particularly worried about delicate stonework on the 16th-Century Rialto Bridge, which is being damaged by the padlocks, and say the sheer weight of them is threatening some bridges.There have also been complaints that the metal additions are an eyesore with some councils removing them en masse using bolt cutters.

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Stefania Battaggia, from Venice's council, told the newspaper Nuova Venezia, said: 'Alreadya lot of padlocks have been removed from the Ponte dell'Accademia but we're going to do the same for the Rialto Bridge, where the situation ismore serious.'
Love locks have also been found in Turin and Bologna as well as Naples.Supporters of the trend have defended the adornments, saying that some tourists are visiting the sights just to see the padlocks as they think it is incredibly romantic.
The author of the book that started it all, Federico Moccia, said he doesn't regret starting the phenomenon and says the 'symbols of love' are something to be proud of.'Tourists go to Ponte Milvio to see them and I'm proud of that. In any case, better a padlock than graffiti disfiguring the walls," he told La Repubblica.

Public art: Passers-by observe the eclectic display of padlocks at the Archeveche bridge in Paris

Inspiration: The fad began in Rome after the publication of the best-selling 2007 novel Ho Voglia De Te (I Want You) by Federico Moccia

According to legend couples must seal their devotion by writing both their names on a padlock, before fixing it to a bridge and tossing the keys into the river

Declaration: A person throws the key of a padlock into t! he River Seine

Taking heart: Called 'Liebesschloesser (love padlocks) in Germany, where a heart-shaped chain is fixed on a fence at the Hohenzollernbruecke bridge in Cologne, and right, padlocks in Paris