On one particularly beautiful Saturday morning in Sicily this past summer, we took a train from Ispica to Siracusa (Syracuse) to see the sights (more on some of those sights in future posts!). On the bridge from Siracusa proper to the island of Ortigia was this collection of locks. Written on each of the locks were what could only be the names of lovers.
I’d love to know the history of this collection of locks hanging from this light standard. I’m curious to know who started it and when. I don’t think it could have been there very long or there would have been many more locks. “How incredibly romantic,” I thought to myself.
A short time later we walked past a very tiny and most lovely beach on Ortigia. From the minute I stepped off the train I loved Siracusa. As we explored and saw more and more of the town, I fell head over heels. Ortigia sealed it for me.
“THIS”, I said to myself “is where I want to come on my honeymoon, and I want to buy an apartment here”. My goodness, if it was that romantic while I was there in the daytime with 14 teenagers and five, well, aging German men, I can’t imagine how over-the-top romantic it would be with a brand spanking new husband under a starlit Mediterranean night! 🙂
Hong Kong. Chicago. Guanajuato. Kinsale. And Siracusa. Another amazing city about which to dream of returning.
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Blah Blah Blog 
August 18th, 2007 at 11:46 am
the photos are great
August 18th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
That’s really a lovely sight, looks like each lock is different from the other! Thank you for sharing it!
August 19th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Hi Linda,
We saw similar locks in China and the tradition is that the lovers (wedding couple) seal their love with the locks and then the key is thrown in the water.
Meaning, they will be married forever. We saw many of them when we walked the Great Wall and there the key is thrown over the side to fall many feet below. Welcome home and I agree with you and absolutely loved Italy.
Thank you also for witnessing to our glorious Lord and Savior.
August 19th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww…….
When I get married one day my husband and I are sooo going to do that!!!! That’s sooo SWEEET!!!!! How precious!!!!! The helpless romantic in me is melting…..
I know! Who’d ever believe that we’re hopeless romantics? 😉 But I’m going to do it, too, if I ever get married! Maybe not in Italy…but I’ll find someplace over a river and lock on! Mama Lou
September 24th, 2007 at 1:42 am
This “locks of love” tradition started in Italy a year ago when a novelist wrote a story called Ho voglio di te (I want you), when a young man trying to win a girl’s heart tells her that there is a tradition of puting a padlock in an old bridge in rome, and tossing the key in the river makes couples last together forever, it was a lie though.
The book became very popular and a movie came out short after, and now there are more locks than the lights can handle, actually authorities had to place special chains for the locks as they were damaging the bridge’s ligthing.
Cool story! Thanks. — Lou
December 13th, 2007 at 1:44 am
[…] Locks of Love « Blah Blah Blog The book became very popular and a movie came out short after, and now there are more locks than the lights can handle, actually authorities had to place […]