December 26, 2025, 3:17 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Quirky, beautiful, eerie: Hidden in a valley north of Rome, there’s a park with bizarre, giant sculptures carved from raw stone and covered in moss. The “Sacred Grove of Monsters” was created in the 16th century by a nobleman and then fell into oblivion. It was only centuries later that the artist Salvador Dalí rediscovered it.
Hidden in a valley outside the town of Bomarzo in Italy, about 50 miles north of Rome, lies the “Sacro Bosco,” the “Sacred Grove.” It’s also called the “Park of Monsters” because bizarre stone figures leave visitors in disbelief.
Overview
Fighting Giants, Gods, and Sirens
Orcus, the god of the underworld, lures walkers into his gaping mouth, reached by a staircase. Inside stands a table inviting a feast. The enigmatic inscription “Ogni pensiero vola” is above his lips: “Every thought flies.”
Two giants battle each other, a mysterious female figure stands atop an oversized turtle, and a siren with spread fin legs gazes at reclining lions. Among Greek vases, a giant elephant carries a tower on its back. Neptune rests against a wall. A dragon is attacked by lions.
Mystical Creatures and Enigmatic Inscriptions
Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound, the winged horse Pegasus, Greek goddesses, nymphs, bears, whales, giant fruits, wondrous fountains, confusing inscriptions—they all captivate visitors with a spell of fantasy. And no one knows what they mean.
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Dedicated to His Wife
The story of the quirky park below Castello Orsini is also wondrous. It was created in the 16th century. Vicino Orsini, the last feudal lord of Bomarzo, envisioned the forest of figures and dedicated it to his wife, Giulia Farnese, who died in 1564.
For more than 30 years of his life, the nobleman had several artists carve giant figures from volcanic rock. He also had a leaning house and other strange buildings constructed. He adorned these with inscriptions, leaving art historians puzzled about their meaning to this day.
A possible explanation is provided by the inscription of Orcus: “Ogni pensiero vola.” It alludes to Dante’s “Divina Commedia.” There, at the entrance to the antechamber of the underworld, it says: “Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch’entrate.” Thus, the sentence can be roughly translated as “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!”
300 Years of Sleeping Beauty
After Orsini’s death in 1585, the “Sacred Grove,” as he called it, fell into oblivion. About 300 years passed before the weathered, moss-covered sculptures were rediscovered. Among others, by the artist Salvador Dalí. He was the first prominent visitor to the Monster Park in 1938. Some motifs can be recognized in his famous painting “The Temptation of Saint Anthony” (1946).
In the 1950s, an Italian couple bought the property and painstakingly restored it. Art historians took notice of the park. Today, the park is a popular destination for families and couples who wander in awe among the giant monsters.
Admission to the park costs 13 euros, reduced to 8 euros.