The garden of Bomarzo (Il Sacro Bosco) looks like a place out of a strange dream, beautiful but slightly eery.
The Park of Monsters, or the Sacro Bosco is a large garden/park from the 16th century in the province of Viterbo, in northern Lazio made for, and by the royal Orsini family.
Unlike the many other beautiful Renaissance Italian gardens that have Romanesque statues, the Sacro Bosco has a creepy, but astonishing atmosphere, as it’s a mix of demonic and mythical creatures that don’t seem to connect to each other at all. One statue is reminiscent of ancient tribal masks while another portrays mythological Greek creatures.
It’s hard to believe that this place was created in the 16th century because somehow it could evoke the same emotion as some contemporary artworks do, for instance, Banksy’s Dismaland. http://www.juxtapoz.com/news/october-2015-banksy-s-dismaland-exclusive-interview/
This park is great for children. When we went, it was full of kids exploring the strange statues (just like us).
Maybe the reason why we decided to go to Bomarzo is because of a dream….
The town of Bomarzo is very authentic, you can walk through the tiny streets and only see a few locals, it’s extremely tranquil.
On our way back from Bomarzo we stopped for aperitvo at a small vineyard and at the Ercolani Cantina, where they sell all kinds of typical Tuscan products and you can get a great glass of wine and panino.
We Recommend:
Pulcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, 2012
Vino Nobile is a red wine from the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy. Mostly made from Sangiovese grapes, but it’s also blended with Canaiolo Nero grapes, as well as with various local varieties, such as Mammolo. The wine is aged for 2 years (at least 1 year in oak barrels); and 3 years if it’s a riserva. Don’t confuse this wine with wine from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, it’s made from a different grape and is from the Abruzzo region in east-central Italy.
Since we were already close, we decided to go to Val di Chiana for dinner at the renowned restaurant La Vecchia Rota (see our previous article Hidden Tuscany: Val di Chiana). https://versavino.com/val-di-chiana/
