Italy's 'Lovers’ Arch' collapses into sea on Valentine's Day

A famous rock structure in Italy dubbed "Lovers' Arch" collapsed on Valentine's Day after days of heavy rain and strong winds.

The rock formation at Sant'Andrea in Melendugno, Puglia served as a tourist attraction for wedding proposals and was a popular landmark on the Adriatic coast.

"This is an unwanted Valentine's Day gift", Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino told local media.

He said it was "a very hard blow" for the region and for tourism.

"Nature as it created the bow, has taken it back", he added.

Passers-by first noticed the absence of the natural landmark on Sunday morning.

Officials have suggested severe weather brought by a storm named Oriana - which has battered southern Italy in recent days - accelerated the rock's erosion, causing its collapse.

"We have lost one of our region's defining characteristics, a symbolic asset," Puglia's regional president Antonio Decaro told reporters at the site on Monday.

"Unfortunately, natural processes are often accelerated by meteorological phenomena, such as the tail end of storm Oriana", he said.

Decaro said authorities needed to concentrate on attempting to slow coastal erosion and preserving the coast.

The Salento region, where the arch was located, is one of Italy's most popular tourist areas.