Another lock of love

Spotted on Lungadige Rubele.

Read my previous post about love padlocks here!

Valentine's Day #2

Piazza Dante. A big red heart shaped carpet in the middle of the square projected on the screen. On the stage live music and prize giving for the best love letters and poems.

Yesterday Verona was full of love! I went out in the afternoon and the romatic atmosphere was overwhelming. The very heart of town, Piazza Erbe and Piazza Dante were choc-a-bloc with people, especially couples. Sitting outdoors at the cafés, holding hands, smiling.... I saw couples everywhere...

"Verona in Love" with its many events, provided a romantic and unforgettable week end for the thousand of people - and especially couples - who came from all over Italy and abroad.

Locks of Love

It all comes from a book by Federico Moccia: "I want you", a bestseller and later a movie. The story inspired thousands of roman lovers to imitate the protagonists in writing their names on a padlock and lock it on Ponte Milvio lampposts.

Soon the lampposts became too heavy and polemics exploded about the visual impact of this unusual love statement (the key was thrown in the Tevere, that implied eternal love) but soon the habit became almost a fashion and spread all over Italy....(from the NY Times, read more!)

Love debris

I seem to have opened up a discussion about graffitis. Although in my post yesterday I didn't condemn the graffitis, I want to point out that I truly hate to see horrible spray writings on buildings or anywhere, it is indeed such a lack of respect and here in town I see so many... sometimes I shiver, like when I approached the Arco dei Gavi, a huge roman white marble arch (like a smaller Arc de Triomphe in Paris) with graffiti on it...

But this is this is quite a peculiar phenomenon, grown on very unique basis and I think the municipality of Verona should do something more. People come from everywhere to see Juliet and sign their names. There is an organization that receives thousands of letters (like a love agony column...)and each one receives a reply, whatever the language. Certainly the town owes a big slice of the tourist income to Shakespeare, so, I think they don't want to be strict on the graffiti issue in this very place.

Although, I think they should handle it in a different way and I have my own idea. I would install removable panels and let the people write on them and eventually make a permanent exhibition in different indoors town sites, or sell them...a graffiti made by lovers from all over the world...

If you have other ideas, please let me know, I might present them to the Mair!

Erased love

Yesterday, as I was walking along Via Cappello when I saw a "different scene" inside the hallway that leads to the little courtyard of Juliet's house. Not the usual groups of people taking pictures marvelling at the sight of the famous balcony,  but this little scaffolding and two guys working on the hallway right wall.

They were scrubbing the graffiti after having removed a thick layer of tiny paper notes attached to the wall with a chewing-gum... (some people are civil enough to use tape or a post-it).

The hallway is so thick with lovers names and hearts that it oozes with love... 

Within a few days of work the walls will be cleaned and painted but they will remain immaculate only for a few hours and the graffiti process will start all over again.