Parco dei Mostri: The park of the “monsters” near Bomarzo
A wide-open mouth of hell with a staircase in front of it, an enigmatic female figure balancing on a turtle, fighting giants – around 80 kilometres north of Rome, a wooded area is teeming with bizarre, mystical sculptures.
The Parco dei Mostri near Bomarzo, also known as the “Park of Monsters”, is an unusual and unique place in the Lazio region. The park is located in the province of Viterbo in central Italy and is known for its strange, eerie and sometimes terrifying sculptures hidden among the trees and bushes.
Landscape park from the 16th century
The Park dei Mostri was created in the 16th century by the Italian nobleman Vicino Orsini. Orsini was an enthusiastic supporter of Renaissance art and wanted to create a garden that surpassed all other landscape gardens. He succeeded in his endeavour, and to this day the wooded area north of Rome is one of the most eerie places in Italy. Orsini died in 1585 and the park, his life’s work, fell into oblivion.
The Park dei Mostri was neglected over the centuries. Soon the whimsical sculptures, buildings and statues were overgrown by Mediterranean vegetation. It was not until the middle of the 20th century that the overgrown statues were rediscovered in the completely overgrown woodland. One of the first visitors was the Spanish painter, writer and sculptor Salvador Dali, who found inspiration for some of his paintings in the park.
The sculpture park
What makes the Parco dei Mostri so special are the whimsical and sometimes eerie sculptures hidden in every corner of the park. Most of the sculptures are made of stone and depict mythological and fantastic creatures. Some of the most famous sculptures in the park are the giant head of Orcus, a stone elephant being ridden by a man and a dragon being menaced by a huge boulder.
Many of the sculptures are grotesque and surreal and seem to come from another world. Some stone figures are so strange that they are disturbing, such as the sculpture of a giant devouring a man or the sculpture of a dragon towering over a sleeping man. In addition to the mystical creatures, the Parco dei Mostri is home to numerous animal figures such as elephants, dolphins and dragons, as well as nymphs, a Pegasus and sirens.
“Sacro Bosco” – the sacred forest
Orsini placed mysterious inscriptions throughout the sculpture forest. On a terrace surrounded by pines and holm oaks, an inscription reveals that the artist referred to the woodland as the “Sacro Bosco” (sacred forest). The meaning of other inscriptions is still a mystery 500 years after their creation. Above an Etruscan bench is a saying that could provide a clue to Orsini’s motives. Translated, the saying reads: “You who wander through the world on vague journeys to see the high and astonishing wonders…”
In addition to the sculptures, there are a number of gardens and green spaces in the park. There is a rose garden, a cypress garden and a garden with fruit trees. Woods and green hills form the backdrop for the Parco dei Mostri as a whole. Remarkable buildings include the “Leaning House”, which has a distinct angle of inclination, and a rotunda from which a fantastic view of the Bomarzo city hill opens up. A Greek octagonal temple is the final resting place of the Bettini couple of restorers, who made a great contribution to the revitalisation of the centuries-old sculptures.
