Parco dei Mostri

To thank Michelle for all her hard work, we took her for a bit of fun on her way to the airport: we stopped off at the Parco dei Mostri: Park of Monsters!

This place was originally called “The Sacred Woods of Bomarzo” but is referred to by everyone as “Park of Monsters.” Prince Vicino Orsini commissioned architect Pirro Ligorio (who went on to work for the Vatican after Michelangelo died) in 1552.

Did you catch that? 1552! No power tools, people.

There are a lot of nooks and crannies, benches and little rooms carved into these sculptures (e.g. underneath the Pegasus in the above picture). It turns out Orsini’s desire was the create a magical place where knights and ladies could wander and “lose themselves.” What becomes clear is that there’s a bit of a naughty implication: it’s a 16th-Century make out spot!

The sculptures were carved out of the massive boulders that were already there. This is the piece that really steals the show– you enter through the mouth to find a room lined with benches and a (sacrificial?) table at the center– all clearly carved from the rock. It’s amazing. And it’s been there for more than 400 years!

When we asked SistaFlav to translate some of the inscriptions for us, the place took on an even more twisted vibe– the lines of poetry warned against wandering the world without looking for the deeper meaning, asking the visitor to gaze upon the horrors of these monsters in order to put things in perspective. Che romantico!

The Art Monstery Crew

My favorite monsterTo thank Michelle for all her hard work, we took her for a bit of fun on her way to the airport: we stopped off at the Parco dei Mostri: Park of Monsters!

This place was originally called “The Sacred Woods of Bomarzo” but is referred to by everyone as “Park of Monsters.” Prince Vicino Orsini commissioned architect Pirro Ligorio (who went on to work for the Vatican after Michelangelo died) in 1552.

Did you catch that? 1552! No power tools, people.

There are a lot of nooks and crannies, benches and little rooms carved into these sculptures (e.g. underneath the Pegasus in the above picture). It turns out Orsini’s desire was the create a magical place where knights and ladies could wander and “lose themselves.” What becomes clear is that there’s a bit of a naughty implication: it’s a 16th-Century make out spot!

The sculptures were carved out of the massive boulders that were already there. This is the piece that really steals the show– you enter through the mouth to find a room lined with benches and a (sacrificial?) table at the center– all clearly carved from the rock. It’s amazing. And it’s been there for more than 400 years!

When we asked SistaFlav to translate some of the inscriptions for us, the place took on an even more twisted vibe– the lines of poetry warned against wandering the world without looking for the deeper meaning, asking the visitor to gaze upon the horrors of these monsters in order to put things in perspective. Che romantico!

The Art Monstery Crew

My favorite monster