Love locks

A taster of my trip to Rome, and it comes as a romantic little story, which appeals to my romantic little heart.

As I was trying to take pictures of the Trevi Fountain, I noticed all these padlocks attached to the railing of the nearby Church, Saints Vincenzo e Anastasio.  Although the symbolism seems clear - there are names written on them, sometimes with dates, sometimes with hearts - I wanted to find out why they are there.

Although it's an old tradition in many places, in Rome it became a craze with the release of a film in which a young couple wrote their names on a lock, chained it around a lamppost and threw the key into the river so that their love would be locked forever.  Locks and chains started appearing around a lamppost on the Ponte Milvio, to the extent that the lamppost almost collapsed and the authorities had to provide an alternative place for them.  The church by the Trevi fountain has now become popular for the romantic love locks, the keys being thrown into the fountain.  As fast as the authorities try to remove them, new ones appear in their place.