A sacred wood of giant, fantastic stone sculptures
In 1552 Prince Pier Francesco Orsini, known as Vicino, grieving for the death of his wife, created in a wood below his castle at Bomarzo a garden unlike any other: the Sacro Bosco, the Sacred Wood, known as the Parco dei Mostri. Instead of the geometric order of Renaissance gardens, it offers a path of mystery and surprise among giant sculptures carved directly into the volcanic boulders.
You meet a fighting giant, a huge tortoise carrying a woman on its back, a dragon attacked by lions, an elephant crushing a Roman soldier, a sleeping nymph and the famous Ogre, an enormous gaping mouth inside which is a small room with a table. A leaning house, deliberately built crooked, disorients the visitor. Forgotten for centuries, the park was rediscovered by Salvador Dalí and other artists in the twentieth century.
Tip: the park is privately run and open every day; allow about two hours. The village of Bomarzo above, with the Orsini palace, is also worth a look.
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