When I was in Firenze last year on the Ponte Vecchio I noticed this statue that had a gate surrounding it covered in locks and I thought why would anybody do that? Well after some researching I found out some interesting info on this famed tradition.
Apparently its a tradition for couples to put locks on the gate to symbolize their "unbreakable" bond. Couples write their name and date on the back of the lock and throw away the keys into the river immediately after securing the lock. No one knows exactly how or when this trend started but I think this is such a cool tradition and the fact that there is are many locks on this gate is astounding. Firenze is certainly for lovers.
However, Firenze officals are not down with the monument of Benvenuto Cellini (a famous florentine artisan) being covered in locks. Officials removed the 5,500 locks from the gate this week and will give any pair of lovers who dares to put a lock on that gate, a ticket for 50 Euro. The locks became an issue for officials when the number of locks increased rapidly in the past three years.
That's unfortunate considering it was such an interesting expression of love in one of the world's most romantic cities. I'm sure lovers will find another place to place their "lucchetti d'amore".
For now here's another picture my friend Brandon took:
You can read the full story here
