The Beloved Romantic Tradition That Is Banned In Two Of Italy's Most Popular Cities

Major European cities continuously work to preserve the beauty that attracts millions of tourists each year, but sometimes that entails imposing rules against common tourist behaviors. For example, tourists may be surprised to find that sitting on the Spanish Steps in Rome will incur heavy fines, and taking selfies is banned at a few of the continent's major attractions. Another seemingly harmless tourist act that is quite a nuisance is leaving a padlock at popular destinations, especially on bridges. Rome and Venice, in particular, have banned these so-called "love locks" entirely.

Couples on vacation have been known to put their names on a padlock and lock it onto a bridge or other structure when visiting a foreign city. These romantic symbols of strong and lasting love have cropped up all over the world. They are not only considered an eye sore but could also harm the structure upon which they are locked. Many of the keys used on the locks could end up polluting rivers too. Rome banned locks on public structures after city officials removed thousands of them in 2012. Famous bridges in Venice like the Ponte di Rialto and the Ponte degli Scalzi saw the trend as well before the Floating City banned locks in 2016.

Whether or not leaving a padlock on a public structure could be damaging is not just mere speculation. Such locks are often associated with Paris, especially along the Pont des Arts. The sheer weight of all the locks caused parts of the bridge's railing to collapse in 2013 (and again in 2014), so there is now plexiglass on the bridge to prevent more locks from being placed on the bridge by love-struck tourists. Part of the reason it became prevalent in Rome is that, in the early 2000s, couples took inspiration from characters in Federico Moccia's romance novel, "Ho Voglia di Te," and began placing locks on Ponte Milvio's streetlights. Just as with the Pont des Arts in Paris, the streetlights of Ponte Milvio began breaking too.

People can face fines if they are caught leaving a lock in public places around Venice and Rome. Despite these consequences, the love lock trend persists in places where locks are banned and elsewhere around the world. You might still see some on Ponte Milvio in particular. Even if you aren't worried about getting caught, following local rules can ensure that you are not acting like an annoying tourist when visiting Europe, as the sentiment of anti-tourism is increasingly prevalent across Europe.