Given its 2000+ year history, Ponte Milvio is one of the more interesting bridges of Rome (more in another note soon). In the past year however a new activity on the bridge has managed to touch all Romans’ hearts, becoming in no time one of the traditions of the city.
About a year ago, the romance movie “Ho Voglia di Te” was released in which the two teenage newly-in-love main characters go to the bridge, write their names on a padlock, lock it to the 3rd lamppost on the left with a chain, and each throw one of the keys over their shoulders into the Tiber. Adorable (and a wee bit schmaltzy as teen movies can be, no doubt) but it caught on. Within a month the locks began to proliferate . . how sweet! . . until exactly 30 days later the head-to-toe brass and steel padlock encrusted lamppost cried uncle and simply keeled over under the weight!
What to do!? The practice was just gaining steam, more and more lovers were turning up from all over Italy, and no lamppost! OH NO!! . . This is serious!
In a typically Italian outcome, the mayor had to intervene in order to placate the concerned and increasingly vocal eternally-sworn lovers, promising that their locks would NOT be thrown away. Actually, that original group of locks now has a place of honor in the Campidoglio (Capitoline, the City Hall). All the more recent tokens of undying love (mostly bought from the impromptu new-padlock sellers that have sprung up along the bridge) have made use of the convenient two foot high posts and chains placed there by the city just for the purpose . . phew, disaster averted!
An example of Italian teenage Ponte Milvio padlock inscription? Pensami. . Pentiti. . Soffri per me. . . Cercami. . Io tornero’. . Amami. . Io giá lo stó! Sara (Think of me, repent, suffer for me, look for me. I will return. Love me, as I already do you. By Sara)
– Contributed by GB (see bio), Editor, Italian Notebook.
