Bomarzo Monster Park: a surreal day trip in Tuscia, Italy

Just 10 minutes from Villa Vacanze Valentina, hidden in an oak wood below the village of Bomarzo, lies the strangest and most fascinating garden in Europe: the Sacro Bosco, better known as the Park of the Monsters. Stone ogres as tall as houses, war elephants, a house built deliberately crooked: no other place in Tuscia leaves the same mark on children and adults alike. It is considered the oldest sculpture park of the modern world, and this guide has everything you need to visit it well: opening times, 2026 prices, the must-see works and the tips of people who have it on their doorstep.

The story: a prince, a loss and a wood of wonders

The Sacro Bosco was born from the mind of Pier Francesco "Vicino" Orsini (1523–1585), lord of Bomarzo, condottiero and man of letters, who from 1552 turned the valley below his palace into something that existed nowhere else: not an orderly Italian Renaissance garden, but a wood inhabited by enigmatic creatures carved out of the living rock. The design is attributed to Pirro Ligorio — the architect who completed St. Peter's after Michelangelo — and the park is bound to the memory of Orsini's beloved wife, Giulia Farnese, to whom the little temple at the end of the trail is dedicated.

After Orsini's death the wood was forgotten for over three centuries, swallowed by vegetation. It was the artists of the twentieth century who rediscovered it: in 1948 Salvador Dalí visited and was thunderstruck — an Istituto Luce newsreel films him climbing among the sculptures — calling it a unique historical invention. In 1954 the Bettini family bought the site, restored it with care and opened it to the public: the park is still run by the same family today.

What you will see: the sculptures not to miss

The trail winds through about three hectares of woodland, past more than thirty works. These are the essentials:

• The Ogre — the gaping face inscribed "Ogni pensiero vola" (every thought flies), symbol of the park: you walk into its mouth, which amplifies voices like a sound box.
• The War Elephant — with a tower on its back, lifting a Roman legionary with its trunk.
• The Leaning House — built tilted on purpose: step inside and your sense of balance goes haywire within seconds.
• The Dragon attacked by lions, Neptune, Hercules and Cacus, the Sphinxes greeting you with a riddle carved in stone.
• The Little Temple — the elegant final building dedicated to Giulia Farnese, where the wood of wonders returns to silence.

The beauty of the Sacro Bosco is that there is no right order: it is an initiatory path designed to surprise, and every sculpture hides references to Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, to alchemy and to its creator's dreams.

How to get there

From Villa Vacanze Valentina the park is about 10 minutes by car: it is the day trip we recommend to every guest on their first day. Coming from further away: from the A1 motorway, exit Attigliano, the park is 4 km; from Rome it is about 105 km (a good hour); from Viterbo 21 km on the Viterbo–Orte expressway, Bomarzo exit. Parking is large and partly shaded. By public transport: train to Orte, then a Cotral bus to Bomarzo.

Tips from your neighbours

Go on a weekday morning: the park opens at 9 and in the first hours you will have it almost to yourselves — spring weekends are the busiest time of the year. Wear comfortable shoes with grip: the paths are natural and turn muddy after rain. In summer it is surprisingly pleasant: the wood is almost entirely in the shade. And if you travel with children, be warned: for them this is the best place in Tuscia, full stop.

Before leaving, it is worth climbing to the village of Bomarzo, with its stone alleys dominated by the sixteenth-century Palazzo Orsini. The adventurous can seek out the Etruscan Pyramid, a gigantic rock-cut altar hidden in the woods: reached free of charge with a thirty-minute walk from Bomarzo's sports field (steep final stretch, hiking shoes advised).

Where to stay for Bomarzo

Villa Vacanze Valentina is the perfect base if you are looking for where to stay near Bomarzo: we are 10 minutes from the park, surrounded by greenery in Bassano in Teverina, with family apartments, the Lovers' Cottage for couples and a pool to cool off in when you return. Within a 40-minute radius you also have Civita di Bagnoregio, the Popes' Thermal Baths and Lake Bolsena: the Park of the Monsters is only the beginning.

Opening times, tickets and visiting tips

The Sacro Bosco is open every day of the year except 25 December, without a lunch break: from 9am to 7pm from March to September, until 6pm in October, until 5pm from November to February; last entry is one hour before closing. Tickets cost €15 for adults and €9 for children aged 4 to 13, and can also be bought online on the official site, sacrobosco.eu.

Our house tip: arrive at opening time or in the late afternoon, when the light on the moss and the sculptures is at its best and the groups are few. The walk is entirely in the green and children love it — if you're travelling as a family, our family holiday home with pool is ten minutes from the park.