Unable to withstand strong winds and waves, the arch collapses
Melendugno mayor says his "heart is torn apart"
The "Lovers' Arch," once a representative tourist destination of Italy's Salento Peninsula in the Apulia region and a famous spot for marriage proposals, recently collapsed in a powerful storm.
According to CNN and the British newspaper The Guardian on the 16th (local time), the Lovers' Arch, a sea stack arch located in Sant'Andrea in Melendugno, Apulia, collapsed on the 14th around Valentine's Day. Local authorities stated that strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rain had continued over the past few days, which weakened the rock and ultimately caused the arch to fall.
The Lovers' Arch, a famous tourist attraction on the Adriatic Sea, was naturally formed over centuries as its limestone was eroded by wind and waves.
The sight of the arch-shaped formation against the backdrop of the blue sea was regarded as a symbol of the Salento Peninsula. In the past, it served as a lookout point for monitoring pirates, but from the late 18th century onward, it became a popular destination for couples to visit for proposals, as a legend spread that lovers who kissed beneath the arch would be granted eternal love.
Maurizio Cisternino, the mayor of Melendugno, expressed his sorrow over the collapse of the arch, saying his "heart is torn apart" and lamenting that "one of the most famous tourist attractions on our coast and in all of Italy has disappeared."
In recent years, storms have been occurring frequently in the Mediterranean, and this is presumed to be due to climate change. The Lovers' Arch was also damaged as a result.
Mediterranean cyclones known as "medicanes" have been destroying ports, houses, and roads in coastal areas, including southern Italy, and reshaping the coastline.
Over the past several weeks, storms have swept across southern Italy, and in Sicily last month, a landslide caused all the houses on a slope to collapse.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
