Since time immemorial there have existed the fantastic love stories that have left great traditions in their wake to celebrate love.
In countries like Italy there is one: The padlocks of Rome, the exact origin of this tradition is not known but we know that according to legend if you feel a sincere love for a person you must write your initials and those of your loved one on a padlock, hang it on the bridge closest to the river and together throw the key into the water to thus seal the love and last forever.
It is possibly based on the novel "Tre metri sopra il cielo" (three meters above the sky) which was the first novel by the Italian writer Federico Moccia, which was a romantic comedy published in 1992, in which its protagonists promised each other eternal love by placing their initials on a padlock that they tied to the Ponte Milvio in Rome and then threw the key into the Tevere River.
The story of the protagonists is quite similar to the love lived by Romeo and Juliet, as both belong to different worlds. Babi Gervasi is the popular girl, exemplary student and perfect daughter who always follows the rules, while Stefano Step is a rebellious, violent, lying teenager who likes speed and risk, has a stormy past that alienates him from his family. Love is born between them and they will have to adapt to each other's world if they want to be together, since the differences between them will generate obstacles in their relationship.
Due to the fame generated by this novel, "the Moccia phenomenon" was created, especially in Rome, where they began to hang padlocks on bridges as proof of love and graffiti on the walls with the same writing as the protagonist in the novel: "You and I, 3MSC" (You and I, three meters above the sky)
Since then, hanging a padlock has become one of the most important promises of love in history because it symbolizes an unbreakable love. This has been adopted by several countries such as France, New York, Germany, Australia, Spain and Algeria.
However, due to the excessive amount of padlocks, certain places have been declared as a permanent damage to the architectural heritage because they generate damage to the preservation of the same and pollute the rivers by corrosion when throwing the keys so they have been removed from bridges such as the Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin - Ireland, Ponte Vecchio in Florence-Italy, Humber Bridge in Canada, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York among others.
Others have adopted the tradition as thousands and thousands of people are interested in giving continuity to this token of love, so places like Las Vegas-Nevada sell padlocks already opened and without keys to visitors (to prevent them from throwing the keys) to place on the walkway that leads from the elevators to the top of the scale model of the Eiffel Tower.
Well, however sincere and true love is, it will always find a way to manifest itself to everyone, whether through a padlock, a graffiti, a rose or a glance. "Vive l'amour".