A picturesque spot on Italy’s coast known as the “Lover’s Arch” because of its popularity with courting couples has collapsed in a severe Valentine’s Day storm in what one local official called a “shock to the heart”.
Faraglioni di Sant’Andrea, an arch in the stone cliffs of the coast of Salento, the heel of Italy’s “boot”, has attracted romantic tourists for centuries. Traditionally, lovers propose marriage, have their first kiss, and celebrate their marriage. According to local legend, those who kissed under the arch were destined for eternal love.
But when a powerful storm hit southern Italy over the weekend, the arch’s fragile structure collapsed and was reduced to a pile of rubble.
Maurizio Cisternino, the mayor of the town of Melendugno, near the collapsed arch, told CNN that its collapse was a “devastating blow to Salento’s image and tourism.” “That’s a blow to the heart.”
The arch was formed over centuries by harsh winds and the high seas carving away at calcarenite stone cliffs in Italy’s Puglia region, bordering the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea. Once a strategic observation post to warn off pirates, the site began to attract enthusiasts in the late 18th century.
Cisternino said Instagram photos have drawn thousands more couples to the Arch in recent years. He added that it is impossible to know the exact number because it is free and open to the public.
Local resident Lorenzo Barlato said he proposed to his wife on the cliff overlooking the arch more than 40 years ago, and the couple often return for their anniversaries.
After Saturday’s collapse, he posted on Facebook: “I couldn’t wait to get back.” “Unfortunately, all that remains of me now are the many beautiful photos I took in that paradise.”
The area is so popular that hotels and resorts (many named after the arches) have sprung up to house visitors.
Rising sea temperatures as a result of climate change are believed to be a factor in the extreme weather that hit the arches in January, which had already been damaged by Cyclone Harry.
But concerns about the landmark’s vulnerability have been around for years.
Cisternino said the municipality applied for a $4.5 million grant in 2024 to fund conservation projects to prevent coastal erosion, but was unable to secure funding.
“This is a tragedy that we knew was inevitable, but we never expected it to happen so quickly,” he told local media on Sunday.
“Nature has reclaimed it in the same way that it created the arch,” he told CNN, adding that resources are needed to address the situation along the coast.
“Nature has changed. What was there 30 years ago is no longer there.”
The collapse came after weeks of severe storms across southern Italy. In Sicily, a landslide recently caused houses to fall into a ravine in the town of Niscemi. Widespread flooding has claimed several lives, including a man who died when his home collapsed near Rome last week.
Now gone, the municipality says the remains of the arch will be left to be washed away by the sea. “It’s like a funeral,” Francesco Stella, a member of Puglia’s tourism council, said on Sunday of what was once one of Italy’s happiest places.
