'Love padlocks' inspired by romantic novel are cut from Rome's Ponte Milvio bridge

By Chris Leadbeater

Published: 06:02 EDT, 11 September 2012 | Updated: 06:04 EDT, 11 September 2012

For the last six years, it has been seen as a symbol of undying love in a place that has long been referred to as the ‘Eternal City.’

But nothing, it seems, lasts forever.

And this week, council authorities in Rome are proving the point – by clearing the Ponte Milvio bridge of the items that have made it an emblem of young romance.

Weight of the world: Young couples attach padlocks to the bridge as symbols of 'unbreakable' love

For over half a decade, the ancient structure – which flows over the River Tiber – has been festooned with padlocks, attached by couples as a visual representation of their relationship. Once the lock is clipped on, the key is thrown into the water below, sealing the pair in an unbreakable bond of affection and trust (at least until their next row).

The craze was inspired by the writer Federico Moccia, whose 2006 novel Ho voglia di te (I Want You) has its protagonists placing a bicycle lock around a lamppost on the bridge.

Fans of the book were quick to copy this plotline – and the trend has also caught on in other areas of Italy, and cities across Central and Eastern Europe.

But now the Roman authorities have stepped in, fearful that the accumulated thousands of locks will cause permanent damage to the historic crossing point.

The padlocks are currently being removed via the unromantic medium of bolt-cutters.

The city council says that rust from the padlocks – some of which are six years old – are causing irreparable harm to the stone structure.

But the move is unlikely to prove popular with young Romans, who use the bridge as a meeting place.

Mr Moccia has also spoken out against the removal of the love tokens.

Writing in the daily newspaper Il Tempo late last year, he asked: ‘With all the problems that Rome faces, is it really that important to cut off the padlocks?’

Ancient: The Ponte Milvio has been a fixture on the Roman map for over two millennia

The author has suggested that the city has a bigger issue with graffiti and illegally-posted advertisements, and should target these before worrying about the padlocks.

This is not the first time the fate of the bridge has proved controversial. In 2007, a lamppost on the bridge partially collapsed under the weight of attached locks.

In the same year, the mayor of Rome introduced a €50 (£40) fine for anyone caught affixing a padlock to the bridge.

Opponents of the craze argue that the locks are unsightly – and that the bridge is too old and important to be used in such a way.

On the latter argument, they may have a point.

The Ponte Milvio has been a fixture on the map of Rome for over two millennia.

It dates back to 206BC, and a time when the city was starting to become the heartbeat of an empire that would control much of Europe.

It even has its own keynote moment in Roman history.

The Battle of Milvian Bridge, fought between the armies of two competing contenders for the role of Roman Emperor, brought bloody combat to the bridge in 312AD.

Maxentius, one of the rivals for the imperial crown, fell into the Tiber during the battle and drowned. The victor, Constantine the Great, would rule Rome for a further 25 years.