Famous rock structure 'Lovers' Arch' in Italy collapses on Valentine's Day

ROME- A famous rock structure on Italy's Adriatic coast known as the "Lovers' Arch" collapsed on Valentine's Day after days of bad weather, prompting local officials to warn that other stretches of the fragile coastline could be at risk.

The natural arch, part of the Sant'Andrea sea stacks near the town of Melendugno in the southern region of Puglia, had long been a popular backdrop for wedding proposals and tourist photos.

"This is an unwanted Valentine's Day gift," Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino told the local Corriere Salentino newspaper, calling the collapse "a very hard blow" for the area's image and for tourism.

Cisternino said days of heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas had battered the coastline and ultimately destroyed the arch. "Nature has taken back what it created," he said.

Officials have warned that other parts of the rocky coastline could also collapse, with cracks visible along the cliff, underscoring the growing threat of coastal erosion.

Storms and heavy rain in recent days have also eaten away at long stretches of coastline on the Ionian Sea, from Ugento to the beaches of Gallipoli, damaging beach structures, causing small cliff falls and harming ports.

Weeks of terrible weather this year have also caused damage estimated at well over a billion euros in southern Italy, including a landslide that has forced more than 1,500 people to evacuate their homes in the Sicilian town of Niscemi.

-Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Ros Russell/Reuters