![\"\u2018Unwanted](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-128453958,imgsize-1426905,width-400,resizemode-4\/image-xjohncremeansx.jpg\" "\\"Image:")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA rock formation known as the \u201clovers\u2019 arch\u201d on Italy\u2019s Adriatic coast collapsed on Valentine\u2019s Day following days of heavy storms, local officials said. Authorities warned that other sections of the fragile coastline could also be at risk.The natural arch, part of the Sant\u2019Andrea sea stacks near Melendugno in Italy\u2019s Puglia region, had been a popular site for wedding proposals and tourist photographs.\u201cThis is an unwanted Valentine\u2019s Day gift,\u201d Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino told the local Corriere Salentino newspaper, calling the collapse \u201ca very hard blow\u201d to the area\u2019s image and tourism.Cisternino said days of heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas battered the coastline and led to the collapse of the arch. \u201cNature has taken back what it created,\u201d he added, as cited by CNN. The arch was formed over centuries by wind and waves eroding the calcarenite stone cliffs along Italy\u2019s Puglia coast on the Adriatic Sea. Once used as a strategic lookout to warn of pirates, the site later became a popular destination for couples and tourists, with hotels and resorts named after the arch developing in the area.Instagram photos have attracted thousands of couples to the arch in recent years, Cisternino said. As the site is free and open to the public, the exact number of visitors is unknown, he added.Warmer sea temperatures linked to climate change are seen as a factor behind the extreme weather that damaged the arch, which had already been weakened by Cyclone Harry in January.Concerns over the landmark\u2019s fragility had been raised for years.\u201cIt\u2019s a tragedy we knew was inevitable, we just didn\u2019t expect it to happen so soon,\u201d Cisternino told local media on Sunday.<\/div>\n\n