The famous natural rock arch at Sant’Andrea sea stacks in southern Italy collapsed on February 14 after storm surges and heavy rainfall hit the region.

Known as Lovers’ Arch, the formation was located along the Adriatic coast in Melendugno and was widely photographed by visitors to the Salento area. The site was frequently used as a backdrop for wedding proposals and tourist photography.

“It is a devastating blow to the heart,” said Melendugno’s mayor, Maurizio Cisternino. “One of the most famous tourist features of our coastline and of the whole of Italy has disappeared.”

Local authorities said strong winds, rough seas and intense rainfall over recent days weakened the structure before it collapsed on Saturday. Officials described it as the most significant damage caused by coastal erosion in the Salento area.

 

“Nature has been overturned: what existed 30 years ago no longer exists. We must find the resources for an organic intervention,” Cisternino added.

 

“It’s like a funeral,” said Melendugno’s tourism councillor, Francesco Stella.

 

The collapse follows a series of Mediterranean cyclones, known as medicanes, including Cyclone Harry, which struck in January. These systems have affected ports, homes and roads across southern Italy.

Medicanes are warm-core weather systems that scientists say are becoming more frequent due to rising sea temperatures. “With the Mediterranean [experiencing] among its hottest years on record in 2025, warmer seas are supercharging the atmosphere and fuelling extreme events,” said Christian Mulder, a professor of ecology and climate emergency at the University of Catania.

 

On January 25, rainfall linked to Cyclone Harry triggered a landslide in the town of Niscemi. Authorities reported that a slope collapsed, creating a four-kilometre chasm. Roads gave way and vehicles fell into the valley below.