Rome and Jerusalem

No, not this.

Jerusalem is a lively city.

The Temple Mount.
The Western Wall.
Meah She'arim.
Bar Ilan Street.
Gay Parade.
Riots.
Suicide bombers (t'fu, t'fu).
Hareidi separate seating buses.

The list could go on.

Here's Rome's latest problem:-

Rome's left-wing Mayor Walter Veltroni has clashed with the right-wing opposition over padlocks left by lovers on a bridge in the city. He has introduced fines for anyone leaving a padlock on a lamp post on the Ponte Milvio, over the Tiber river.

Many young lovers have hung padlocks there, throwing the keys in the Tiber, so the lamp post is laden with them. The padlocks bear lovers' messages. The opposition accused Mayor Veltroni of "trampling on lovers' rights".

The love padlock craze comes from a romantic rite mentioned in two novels by Federico Moccia, Tre Metri sopra il Cielo (Three metres above the sky) and Ho Voglia di Te (I Desire You). The books, published in 1992 and 2006, have become cult novels for young Italians.

Forza Italia and the National Alliance, the two main right-wing opposition parties, promptly accused the mayor of violating lovers' rights.

A spokesman for the mayor said city hall was not against the custom, but wanted to find an alternative location, so that one of the oldest monuments in the Italian capital could be "freed".