Ponte Milvio

There is no more beautiful walk. Step out of your room into the fresh morning light and you are already at Ponte Milvio, one of the oldest Roman bridges, famous for the renowned battle of Constantine against Maxentius. It was 312 AD, and the night before the terrible clash, the emperor dreamed of a cross bearing the inscription in hoc signo vinces. And so it was, and thus Europe became Christian. And so Raphael, twelve hundred years later, painted this extraordinary event in the Hall of Constantine, a masterpiece of the Vatican Rooms.

In Federico Moccia's novel, Three Meters Above Heaven, the protagonists sealed their love by attaching a padlock to the chains of Ponte Milvio. A romantic gesture that conquered all of Europe. Today the padlocks have been removed because Ponte Milvio, like the bridges on the Seine, can no longer bear the weight of such big hearts. But the tradition of swearing eternal love here has remained. A sunset stroll, two glasses of champagne, a kiss, and who could resist?