BOMARZO.

The park of the Monsters of Bomarzo was conceived by architect Pirro Ligorio (he completed St. Peter’s after Michelangelo’s death) commissioned by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini, for the purpose of “sol per sfogare il core” broken (?) by the death of his wife Giulia Farnese …

The park that covers an area of about 3 hectares, within a coniferous and deciduous forest, for a fairy-tale path where streams flow, surrounded by vegetation, from which the sculptures sprout.

After the Prince’s death, the heirs abandoned the park, and only after 400 was it recovered.

Even today, it is not possible to decipher all the symbols enclosed in the park, because they mix antiquity with the Renaissance, alchemy with the zodiac.
Even the most famous of surrealists, Salvador Dalí, spoke of the park as a unique historical invention.

Scientists, historians and philologists have tried many times to come up with theories about the hidden meaning in this labyrinth. Attempting to interpret, in various ways, the symbols and statues scattered throughout the Sacred Wood of Bomarzo.
They managed to unearth ancient themes, verses borrowed from Renaissance literature, as well as classical buildings.

Unfortunately, many of the verses that decorated the statues are too ruined, due to a long period in which the Monster Park was abandoned. Purchased by the Bettini family in the 20th century, it was
refurbished, but during the renovation, many of the statues were moved from their original positions. This made the puzzle even more complex to decipher.

Although it is not clear what the story hidden in the Sacred Wood by Prince Orsini was, some historians have developed a theory that it may have been a rite of passage that, following
the stories of the classic books, was supposed to turn anyone who reached the end of the labyrinth into a great hero.

There have always been theories speculating that Bomarzo Monster Park was a place closely associated with esoteric practices.