But reality
quickly set in, as it often does after passion. Thousands of locks and chains
piled up. The lamps atop two light posts crumbled under the weight. Neighbors
complained of vandalism. Politicians who tried to solve the problem were
accused and this is bad in
Late last month,
a solution was put into place. City officials set up six sets of steel posts
with chains on the bridge, so now lovers can declare themselves without damage
to the infrastructure. And so this city of monuments has just created another
one, if at a cost: tossing a key off Ponte Milvio,
some Italians complain, may soon be as touristy as flipping a coin into the Trevi Fountain.
Its
less romantic, said Costantino Boccuni, 28, a soldier who had just affixed a lock to one
of the new spots to declare his love for his wife of six years, Daniela, 26.
It was more beautiful before. It was more original.
Now,
its more like a fashion, he said.
But still, as
The story of how
Ponte Milvio, north of Romes center, became the
citys symbol of love follows a particularly Italian script blending
history, myth, truly ludicrous political posturing and the unexpected.
Built in 206
B.C., the bridge attracted lovers long ago. Tacitus, the first-century Roman
historian and statesman, reported that even in his time it was famous for
its nocturnal attractions. Emperor Nero, Tacitus said, visited the bridge
for his debaucheries. (It is also the place where in 312,
Last year, the
writer Federico Moccia created the second installment
of a story of young Romans called I Want You. Like many affairs, his
heros starts with a lie: he convinces a potential girlfriend of an
invented legend in which lovers wrap a lock and a chain around the third
lamppost on the bridges northern side, lock it and throw the key into the
And then? the girl asks.
Well never leave each other, he says, with no shame.
Mr. Moccia, 44, said he dreamed up the ritual. I liked the
idea of tying locks to love because it is more solid, tangible, he said.
The book sold 1.1 million copies, then the movie came out and soon life began
imitating art.
Mr. Moccia said he was stunned when locks and chains appeared
on the bridge, though he tied the craze to a lingering malaise in
It is a
precise sign of our times there is
a lack of dreaming, he said. We only hear bad news. There is no
longer the smile of who we see from afar or near the dream. And
that gesture of the lock on the bridge, of the feeling of the iron closing,
its a promise. Its beautiful.
Soon beauty
turned to menace. Lovers came from all over
Inevitably,
politics intruded. In this nations long battle between left and right,
right-wing parties accused the leftist mayor, Walter Veltroni,
with a crime far worse than corruption.
The left is
against lovers, one rightist city official, Marco Clarke, charged in
February.
Fighting
words.
An artful compromise clearly needed finding. Thus the posts
and chains.
Lovers can affix
their locks directly to them (which seemed to be the case on two recent, very
pleasant evenings on the bridge). Or if they insist on chaining them to the
lampposts, the locks will periodically be moved to the posts and chains.
We have used
good sense, meaning we realize that it is about a primary and innocent
feeling, said Silvio Di Francia,
a city official responsible for solving the problem. However, if all the
historic bridges had locks we would have a problem with the maintenance.
So the tradition
continues, if with some reservations about compromising on love. Some young
Roman said that even before the new posts, the ritual had lost its appeal and
gotten touristy. Indeed, two vendors sell locks on the spot for one to five
euros. Families pose for cellphone photos.
I would be
embarrassed, said Michael P., a 22-year-old who withheld his last name
because he was smoking marijuana. Its a question of
dignity. If I want to express love, I will express it in my way.
But Gianluca and
Federica recently declared their love with a lock, as did Ricky and Francy, Piti and Piti, and several Mirkoses with
suspiciously similar handwriting. Anna and Philip Colletti,
from
Twenty-five
years of marriage it might freak
out these young couples, Ms. Colletti said.