Bomarzo Park of Monsters: Hours and Info

Far less known than the stunning Hadrian’s Villa and Villa D’Este in Tivoli, The Park of the Monsters of Bomarzo will stun you and surprise you for the wonders of art and moving history.

Located in Bomarzo, a small town in Viterbo province not far from Rome, The Park of the Monsters is everything but scary. On the contrary, it has a romantic touch!
The park has been renamed many times and in the past was indeed known as The Villa of Wonders, and sometimes also as the Sacred Woods.

The Villa of Wonders seems more accurate, since the park is simply amazing.

Built by Prince Orsini in 1552 “only to relieve his soul”, the project of the Villa was carried out by Pirro Ligorio, who also built Villa D’Este in Tivoli.

The surreal landscape features a threatening population of animals, gods and mythical figures carved out from natural stones scattered among the woods and hiding behind tall trees.
The Park of Bomarzo is really unique because, differently form other Renaissance Italian villas and gardens, it was intended as an adventurous sequence of apparitions, basically a labyrinth of symbols that visitors are supposed to discover step by step.

The park is a continuous discovery indeed: wandering through steep paths you will stumble upon massive, animated stones. Surrounded by the deep silence of the woods stand impressive stone animals and figures. A giant Elephant ready to kill a Warrior, two Dragons fighting, the Ogre whose mouth is big enough to sit in for a picnic, the Sleeping Beauty, Hercules, Bears, God Neptune and many others.

Deep in the forest there’s also a temple dedicated by Orsini to his beloved wife after her death. The Temple is indeed the symbol of his lost love, but also of their eternal union!

Bomarzo Park with its Monsters and Wonders really suits everyone: youngsters and grown ups will both smile and marvel at the stone monsters during this day trip from Rome. The visit is absolutely recommended and we really encourage you to put on your most comfortable shoes and visit this place in person!

Keep reading for information, visiting hours, tickets and to discover the highlights of Bomarzo Park of Monsters!

• How to Visit
• How to Reach
• Park of Monsters Facts
• Park of Monsters FAQ
• Free Itineraries
• What’s Nearby

1PLAN YOUR VISIT IN ADVANCE

– Add this site to your Travel List!

2CHECK IN ADVANCE THE BEST TIME VISIT

– Springtime and Summertime: Starting from 8.30 am it’s better to visit the site in the morning to avoid the heath;
– Fall and Wintertime: from 10.30am to 4.30pm;

3WEAR COMFORTABLE FOOTWEAR

– Summertime: sneakers, sun cream and a hat;
– Wintertime: sneakers, umbrella and raincoat

Bomarzo Park Call Center:
+39 0761 924029

1FROM ROME CITY CENTER TO BOMARZO

Since it’s really difficult to reach the Park of Bomarzo from Rome by Public Transports, the only feasible option is to rent a car or hire an NCC, a private vehicle with driver.

Address:
Località Giardino, 01020 Bomarzo (VT), Italy
Get directions from Google Maps

“You, who wanders around the world, eager to see
Imposing and amazing marvels, come here…”

This is one of the many inscriptions engraved in stone that welcome visitors today as it did in ancient times!

The Sphinxes

The Sphinxes are absolutely one of our favourite groups of sculptures and we are sure you will love them too! Under the sculptures there are actually riddles to be solved.
One Sphinx is asking for your verdict after your visit to the park. At this point we are sure that Orsini must have been quite a funny man! So the riddles reads:

“You, who enters here, be very attentive and tell me, if these marvels have been realised due to a mistake or if it is a form of art!”

The Struggle Between Giants

The Struggle between Giants is the eternal battle between good and evil. Hercules is dismembering Caucus who has stolen food from the poor. Before going away look at the back of the statue: you’ll see a warrior and an elephant hiding.

The group Turtle, Woman & Whale

Looking at this group of statues is like listening to music or reading poetry! The turtle bears the statue of a woman on its shell. The woman symbolizes a winged victory. Look at the turtle’s eyes. The animal is staring at a giant whale (sculpted at the bottom of the ditch), which mouth is wide open, ready to devour its prey.

The Leaning House

That’s right! There’s also a leaning house. During our visit, we were so excited when we first saw it because you can actually go inside and walk around… or al least you think you can!

This charming, little house is leaning for real. Once inside you will get real dizzy after just a few seconds, and you will feel the need to rush out.
And guess what? That was exactly Orsini’s purpose when he had this little house built. A genius way to avoid his guests to stay too longer!

The Ogre

The Ogre is a huge man’s head, petrified in a scream of terror! It symbolizes the entrance to the Underworld. Engraved on the lips you can read “every thought flies away” as Dante’s paraphrase. It’s your time now to walk into the Ogre’s mouth for a picture!

The Temple

We could not miss to mention the Temple, the last work you’ll find along the itinerary in the Park of Monsters of Bomarzo. Besides the charming structure, which features a dome and a really fine portico, the temple is special for its meaning. It celebrates the love of Orsini for his wife. And we think Love is the best conclusion to every journey and story!

Are you wondering something about this landmark in Rome? Go to our Q&A section and post your question. It will be answered by an official Rome tour guide!