Rome’s love lock tradition has found a new stage: the Colosseum. Where once Ponte Milvio was the city’s romantic hotspot, now hundreds of padlocks hang from the railings overlooking the ruins of the Ludus Magnus, between Via Labicana and Via di San Giovanni in Laterano.
Couples from Italy and abroad have turned the practice into a ritual, fastening colorful locks engraved with initials and hearts, then snapping selfies with the Colosseum as backdrop. Unlike at Ponte Milvio, there is no river below to throw away the key, but the symbolism remains intact.
The phenomenon echoes the wave sparked two decades ago by Federico Moccia’s novels and films, later curbed at Ponte Milvio for reasons of public order. Today, in the shadow of Rome’s most iconic monument, the tradition is back — a blend of past and present, history and social media.