Italy's bridges weighed down by locks of love

 "On top of its usual problems of rising flood waters, sinking palazzi, tourist congestion and corrosive pigeon droppings, Venice faces a new challenge that city officials are struggling to unpick.

Inspired by a bestselling romantic novel, young lovers are rushing to attach padlocks to the city's historic Rialto bridge, risking damage to the stonework and requiring policemen with bolt cutters to remove them.

The craze, inspired by I Want You, the 2006 novel by Federico Moccia, involves couples writing their names on the padlock, swearing eternal love and throwing the keys into the canal.

Stefania Battaggia, the head of Venice's Office for Urban Quality, said the trend was pushing the city's reputation for romance too far."
The Guardian /continue reading