Arch of the Lovers of Sant'Andrea in Melendugno (Lecce) collapses: bad weather erases a symbol of Salento

TheLovers’ Arch in Torre Sant’Andrea, in the territory of Melendugno, in the province of Lecce, no longer exists. The imposing natural arch overlooking the lower Adriatic Sea, one of the most photographed views of the Salento coast, collapsed on the night of Feb. 14-15, at the end of Valentine’s Day, after being hit by the wave of bad weather that has affected southern Puglia in recent hours. In place of the rocky structure now remains a pile of outcropping rocks. For years the arch had framed the blue sea of Salento, becoming a fixed stop for tourists and couples who stopped there to take photographs. Known locally as Arco de Lu Pepe and renamed Arco dell’Amore or Arco degli Innamorati by visitors, it was considered one of the well-known sights on the Apulian Adriatic coast.

On Feb. 15, the Apulia Region issued a statement from the regional council in which it stressed that the episode is yet another sign of the pressure exerted by extreme weather phenomena on the Apulian coastline and the need to strengthen coastal erosion mitigation policies. In fact, the municipality is the recipient of two interventions currently nearing completion. In 2025, the Region arranged for specific funding earmarked precisely for the Torre Sant’Andrea area, on the landward side facing the stacks, and expressed willingness to provide further support. In the last few hours, the Puglia Region’s councillor for Infrastructure and Mobility with responsibility for State Property, Raffaele Piemontese, has contacted the mayor of Melendugno, Maurizio Cisternino, to express his closeness to the municipal administration and to verify any critical issues under the safety profile. In the same hours, the first citizen reported that he remained on site for the entire morning following the collapse.

“I was not among the first to write because the pain stopped me. But I have been here all morning,” Mayor Maurizio Cisternino writes on his Facebook page. “The incessant rains of these hours have brought down our Arco de Lu Pepe, renamed by those from outside, Arco degli Innamorati, which has become an icon of tourism in Italy and the World. This morning I received phone calls from the president of the Puglia Region, Antonio Decaro, the prefect Natalino Manno, regional councillors Sebastiano Leo and Raffaele Piemontese, and the regional councilwoman, Loredana Capone. Our municipality was among the first in Puglia to submit a four and a half million project to combat coastal erosion. The project was considered eligible but not fundable due to exhaustion of funds. In light of what has happened, we hope that the funds will be replenished and that yet another signal coming from Nature will not fall on deaf ears.”

“When such a beloved place disappears, along with rock formations shaped by nature we lose a piece of collective memory, landscape and identity,” Piemontese noted. “Climate change and the intensification of weather events are accelerating natural processes that used to take centuries if not longer in the past: so we need increasingly strong responsibility from institutions, with constant monitoring, prevention and planning. The Puglia Region will continue to work with coastal municipalities to identify the most exposed areas and plan sustainable interventions, with the aim of combining landscape protection, safety and tourism enhancement. We reiterate our willingness to collaborate with the municipality and all coastal territories. Defending our coasts means protecting communities, economy and landscapes that tell the story of Apulia in the world, knowing that the challenge of climate change is urgent and at times dramatic; it requires vision, continuity and shared work.”

Arch of the Lovers of Sant'Andrea in Melendugno (Lecce) collapses: bad weather erases a symbol of Salento

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