Home / Funny / Viral / Amazing Garden Known As

AMAZING GARDEN KNOWN AS

Published: 2024-11-03 15:23:56 Last Updated: 2024-11-04 15:37:38

Sacro Bosco, also known as the Park of the Monsters, is a hidden gem in the hills and woods of Bomarzo, Italy. With dozens of sculptures depicting mythical creatures that appear to rise from the earth itself, this seven-acre garden from the 16th century earned its nickname.
Pier Francesco Orsini (1523-1585), the Duke of Bomarzo at the time and a fervent art enthusiast commissioned Sacro Bosco, which is regarded as the oldest sculpture park in the modern world. According to some historians, Orsini made this garden to help him deal with his grief following the death of his wife. He decorated it with enigmatic sculptures that might have represented his feelings.
Although 16th-century aristocrats frequently dedicated gardens to their loved ones, the Sacro Bosco is not your typical Renaissance garden. Its meandering, labyrinthine walkways beckon guests to explore bizarre statues that depict characters from Greek mythology and the underworld.
A statue of Cerberus, the three-headed guardian of the underworld's gates, is encountered by tourists along the route. Towering statues of the Greek sea god Glaucus, the Roman freshwater and sea god Neptune, and the Greek mythological half-snake, half-woman Echidna, are also part of the captivating landscape.

Mouth of Hell, a terrifying stone face with an open mouth that invites guests inside, is one of the park's most well-known sculptures. It has been reported that Orsini hosted dinner parties within the sculpture. According to a visitor from the 16th century, "[Its] mouth makes the door, and the windows are the eyes, and inside the tongue is used as the table, and the teeth as the seats." "And from a distance, it looks like the most terrifying face when one is eating dinner with candles lit among the drinks."

Since Orsini's vision cannot be explained by written records, the park's mystery remains unsolved. According to co-author and art historian John Garton of Clark University, "no account books, receipts, or commission documents survive to tell us about the creation of the Sacro Bosco."

"Rumbling woods full of surprises, frightful beasts, and ancient ruins" is how Garton characterizes Sacro Bosco. The art historian also thinks that "some features in the garden are meant to haunt the visitor's memory," even though not all of the sculptures are frightful.

For centuries after Orsini's passing in the middle of the 1580s, Sacro Bosco was essentially unaltered. Only after World War II was the garden rediscovered, drawing the interest of well-known individuals such as French poet Jean Cocteau, Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí, and Italian critic Mario Praz, who praised the garden's enigma in their writings.

Anyone with a ticket can now enter Sacro Bosco and experience the fanciful surroundings. Visit the Sacro Bosco website to learn more about it and to witness its eerie beauty for yourself.

Article Tags: Viral Garden Italian sculpture 16th Century Park of Monsters