Rome
Roman authorities have installed steel posts with chains on the Ponte Milvio bridge so that couples can hang padlocks there as a sign of their love. The fad was inspired by last year’s best-selling book I Want You by Federico Moccia, in which the hero concocts a legend that inscribing two names on a lock, attaching it to the bridge, and throwing the key into the river will ensure eternal love. Since the book came out, thousands of locks and chains appeared on the bridge’s lampposts, which began to crumble. Officials who condemned the practice as vandalism were accused of being anti-love. They finally found the solution last week by installing the posts. “We have used good sense, meaning we realize that it is about a primary and innocent feeling,” said city official Silvio Di Francia.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
