If you’ve been to Italy, you’ve seen love locks adorning bridges and lampposts in cities like Rome, Florence, and Bologna. Couples etch their initials on lucchetti d’amore (love locks) and snap them on public fixtures. They then toss the key away to symbolize their everlasting and unbreakable love. These symbols of love’s commitment and strength adorn bridges throughout Italy, from Ponte Milvio (Rome) to Rialto (Venice).* Bologna’s “bridge,” however, is different, for two reasons.
What Bridge Is in Bologna?
There is no river that flows through Bologna, and the canals that once crisscrossed the city are largely underground today. Except for the two or three streets that cross a small section of the Reno Canal, there are no bridges. What are lovers to do?
In 2007, an anonymous woman from southern Italy proposed placing lucchetti d’amore on gates above Reno Canal on Via Oberdan. Her proposition, spread via the local papers and a dedicated website, gained momentum, and lucchetti d’amore appeared.
There was, however, one problem.
Three views of the Reno Canal in Bologna. Photos ©chriscutler
Il Ponte dei Single Love Locks
The anonymous Calabrian woman originally proposed that Bologna’s love lock bridge be only for singles. Singles were to bring their own lock, write their initials and phone number on it, and hang it on the gate. After turning their backs to the gate, they would toss the lock’s key into the water while making a wish.
While whoever placed the first lock may have adhered to the inventor’s rules, soon after Via Oberdan’s gate welcomed couples. Today, the gate is full of locks of singles and couples celebrating love.
Who Was the Anonymous Woman?
After remaining anonymous for 18 years, the woman who proposed Il Ponte dei Single has come forward. Rossella Regina, a journalist and entertainer, recently admitted it was she who proposed Il Ponte dei Single. The bridge, Regina admitted, still gives her joy—even if it lost its initial mission for singles. She thinks Bologna City Council should rename the bridge to something more appropriate, like Ponte del Lucchetto Dell’amore (Lovelock Bridge).
Regina has other aspirations, too. Originally from Laino Borgo in Calabria, Regina would like the town’s leaders to consider doing the same thing there. She says that in a time where violence and anger seem stronger and louder than love, the world needs this. It is her belief that love locks are “…spreading good feelings that can help this world to improve a little bit.”
