LOVE PADLOCKS’ OBSESSION

Lately, its ‘Inventor’ disclosed her Identity after almost 20 years of silence

Bologna padlocks tradition started in 2007, quite simultaneously with its best-known kind-of-looklike brother in Rome, Ponte Milvio. This one, though, got publicly launched after Federico Moccia’s novel ‘Tre Metri Sopra il Cielo’ got published. But in Bologna padlocks’ story was a little bit more Creative, besides Mysterious.

The idea of hanging padlocks on a gate along Reno Canal in Via Oberdan, in fact, was anonymously proposed by a 28 years-old (at that time) Southern Italian girl, who proposed, through local Press, an opposite answer to Ponte Milvio’s phenomenon, homeland of all lovers: a ‘Bridge’ dedicated to Single, the so called Single’s Bridge (Il Ponte dei Single).

To give strength to her idea, the young girl from Calabria organized a website and spread the Web with tailored press release that got re-launched by main city Newspapers, so that people started to go over the gate in the heart of city centre to hang their love-padlocks.

But because Bolognese Bridge was, at least in the beginning, designed for Single only, there were Rules too to be respected and made up by its Inventor again. They wanted Single to go over the Bridge bringing their own padlock to be hung on the gate not before writing Initials on it with a telephone number. Then, turning shoulders towards the gate, it was possible launching the padlock’s key into the water while making a wish.

The first padlock was hung for sure by the Single’s Bridge anonymous Testimonial but soon afterwards that place became, as in Rome, a location celebrating Lovers in general and nowadays turned to be into a real sightseeing point for all Tourists in Bologna.

Because of this, but, above all because of a big disappointment, as she admitted, the Single’s Bridge Inventor decided to reveal her anonymous Identity after long 18 years: Rossella Regina, a Journalist already known by TV & Bologna City Audience because of her several participations to national and local TV shows as Singer and Entertainer, among those the Finals of Italia’s Got Talent.

Yes, it was me and it is me – she declared – I started this experience as a challenge with myself: wanted to prove that a good Communication work could have worked out, even without ‘solid structures’ (no offices, no team, nothing…just a Creative Idea). And it worked. So, days after, walking along Bologna streets and reading newpapers’ titles outside news kiosks’ turned to be AMAZING, even if nobody knew it was me.

But why, Rossella, you waited so long to reveal your Identity, though?

As I declared in few interviews, 2025 started with a strong unexpected disappointment that really changed my perception of reality and trying to step out of it, while passing next to the Single’s Bridge Gate, happy memories came strongly to my mind and I thought the right moment to reveal the Truth was finally arrived.

And now? Which coming plans about this revelation?

Well, the first step is done. Now – Rossella admits – I would like Bologna City Council to recognize it officially placing a specific label on it, even re-naming it, in view of the fact that the place kind of lost its previous mission for Single (Something sounding like ‘Bologna Padlocks’ Lovers Brigde – previously Single Bridge’).

More to come?

Well, because of my Southern Italian origins I would really appreciated if City Council of my native little village, Laino Borgo in Calabria, could consider the idea of launching a similar phenomenon there too. I means, it’s an historical moment of time where violence seems stronger and louder than love, so, I believe whichever event/activity/idea spreading good feelings can help this world to improve a little bit.

So the only thing you can evaluate to do for coming St Valentine’s Day it could be a trip to Bologna to go and visit the Single’s Bridge and maybe trying to get in touch with Rossella too, living in city centre and always enjoying entertaining English-speaking Tourists with her acknowledged humor.