You might remember that I talked about the “locks of love” back in February. That’s not their official name, of course, but  “locks of love” is what I like to call  the locks lovers attach to bridges to symbolize the eternal nature of their love.

The “tradition” started not too long ago, when an Italian novel (and later a movie) became popular.  In the story, a character pledges his undying love to his girlfriend. To demonstrate his devotion, he writes their initials on a lock and then locks the lock to the railing of a bridge,  then tossing the key into the water below. The idea is that the lock can then never be unfastened, making it a symbol of their love that will last forever.

What I find particularly funny about this tradition is that in the original story, the guy is actually just lying to his girlfriend. Make that girlfriends, actually, as he does it with every woman he meets.  But that little detail hasn’t stopped the idea of the locks catching on, and so bridges over Europe bridges are lined now with these locks.

Back in June 2012, when I took those “foreground”/”background” example photos using the locks of love on the Accademia bridge in Venice, there weren’t all that many locks attached.

However, compare those photos with these photos from today’s news story in an Italian newspaper (click on “successivo” and “precedente” to scroll through the photos). According to the accompanying article (in Italian), apparently tourists are being told the story by guides, who then encourage them to do it, too. The result is that the Accademia bridge now has a moss-like covering of locks that now take up most of the top of the wooden railing. It’s definitely getting a bit out of hand.

Which is why a group in Venice has designated a day in September as the “slice the locks” off the bridge day. Armed with bolt cutters, they will go around and attempt to remove all the locks from all the bridges in Venice, in order to tidy up a bit.

One of the men involved in the effort is quoted as saying that he realizes that their actions will probably destroy countless relationships when the locks are broken, since it will break the “spell”. But, he says he’s not afraid to become an “enemy of love” (his term) in an effort to keep Venice beautiful.

I guess it’s noble that he’s willing to brave the wrath of all those unhappy lovers whose happiness will be cut short (if you believe in the power of the locks). However, I suspect that in some ways what he’s doing is a rather Sisyphean task, since once the locks are removed from the bridge in September, more are sure to follow, as that legend of the locks story is still quite popular.

So, in my opinion, what that group really needs to do is pay the guides to tell a new version of the story, one where in order to ensure your love will last forever, you buy the lock in Venice and then take it home with you. Until it’s considered bad luck to put the lock on the bridge, erstwhile Romeos will still be inscribing their beloved’s initials on side of those locks.

At least that’s my prediction. I’ll be able to test my theory at the beginning of October, since Chris and I are currently planning to be in Venice then. Since that’s well after the “enemies of love” will have done their thing to battle the scourge of the locks, we’ll be able to see if love — and the locks — triumph in the end.

Stay tuned. 😉