Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Garden of the Monsters

The Sacred Bosco of Bomarzo. A mossy grove of mythological creatures that "slept", forgotten, for a couple hundred years after the end of the Renaissance. And then it languished further until 1953, when a local art lover weed-whacked the place out of obscurity. 


The huge sculptures were all carved from the rocks wherever they lay, BY ONE MAN, as a memorial to Giulia, the beloved late wife of the nobleman who commissioned the sculptor and the architect who designed the park.  


Walking through it is meant to be a "philosophical journey through themes such as love, death, memory and truth."


Two carved sphinxes (not pictured) welcome you to the park and ask you to consider your "verdict" as you wander. (Atreyu!!) 

On one sphinx is inscribed, "He who does not visit this place with raised eyebrows and tight lips will fail to admire the seven wonders of the world."

And on the other, "Be very attentive and tell me if these marvels have come about by deception or by art."


Pici vs La Tartaruga





Thank you Beckie for turning us on to this magnificent place. 

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