The Parco dei Mostri (or the Park of Monsters) is a fascinating garden below the medieval town of Bomarzo. Writers, poets and creatives from all around the world have visited this garden.
If you’re planning on visiting Bomarzo as well as the Park of Monsters you can do it as a day trip trip from Rome only if you start early in the morning. However, spending one night in the region is highly recommended so that you don’t end up rushing from pillar to post.
Brief History of the Bomarzo Monster Park
The Bomarzo Monster Park (also called Bosco Sacro, or the Sacred Grove) was commissioned in the 1500’s and was designed by Pirro Ligorio who equally designed Villa d’Este in Tivoli (another recommended day trip from Rome). Prince Pier Francesco Orsini who was a patron of the arts commissioned the sculptures when his wife Giulia Farnese passed on.
At the time, the unusual sculptures were seen as grotesque and hence the Bomarzo Monster Park was never really popular. However, things changed in 1954 when Giovanni Bettini bought and restored the park. It has since been an interesting attraction for young and old alike.
What You Can Expect
Unfortunately there is no audio guide or a tour guide at the park but there was a very helpful groundsman named Eugene who was keen to inform me of the history and guide me through everything. His passion for the park was no doubt evident and he told me that he has worked there for over ten years now.
Upon paying the 10 Euro entrance fee you will receive a poorly translated map with a short blurb of the history of the place. So it’s recommended you purchase a thorough guide at the bookstore before entering.
The garden is unbelievable and well worth the trip to get there. You can easily follow the points indicated on the map from numbers 1 to 35. The sculptures are larger-than-life and many of them are carved into the rockface. These massive, surreal sculptures are not grotesque as pointed out by many travellers. They are particularly bizarre and there is a definite peculiarity evinced by the sculptures set against the almost perfect, lush green backdrop. It is this careful juxtaposition that makes the park so intriguing.
There are sculptures of mythological figures, a Roman temple, an odd house at an angle, monsters with open mouths, dolphins and even mermaids. The surrealist nature of the sculptures has attracted Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali and many other famous creatives from around the world.
How to Get to Bomarzo Monster Park from Rome
Getting to Bomarzo from Rome is not the easiest unless you hire a car with GPS. However, it IS doable with the public transport system and if you’re feeling a bit adventurous.
Take a local train from one of Rome’s train stations to Viterbo, about two hours away. From Viterbo you need to find the Cotral bus terminal – about twenty minutes on foot from Viterbo Porto Romano train station. There’s a tourist information office situated in Piazza del Plebiscito and they can furnish you with a map and point you in the right direction.
From the Cotral bus terminal take the bus to Bomarzo. Inform the driver that you want to stop at Bomarzo because each bus makes different stops on the way and some require a connecting bus. The direction of the bus to Bomarzo is Orte. You can also check on the Cotral website to be certain. Once the bus drops you at Bomarzo itself you then need to walk down the hill to the Bomarzo Monster Park – about another twenty minutes by foot.
Ensure you know when the last bus leaves for Viterbo because the little town of Bomarzo is quite isolated and there is no other public transport available.
I suggest you stay overnight in the nearby town of Viterbo or one of the many beautiful little towns surrounding Bomarzo itself.
Explore Bomarzo
If you’re going to make a day of it, I highly recommend you to explore the town of Bomarzo as well. Although very small, this medieval hilltop town is extremely magical, with very few tourists venturing this far out of Rome. You can walk up to the clocktower at the top of the town and view the magnificent green surroundings. There are really beautiful little cobbled streets to wander about in.
Top Things to See in Bomarzo
- Bomarzo Monster Park or Parco dei Mostri
- Duomo
- Chiesa S. Anselmo
- Centro visite Riserva Montecasoli
Culture Vulture Tips
- If you are keen to read more about the history of the Bomarzo Monster Park I suggest you buy one of the books available in the bookshop on site. Do this prior to entering the garden so that you can take your time inside and read next to the different sculptures.
- If you’re an artist, poet or creative, bring your materials with you, as the park will most certainly act as your muse especially if the weather is good.
Traveller’s Tips
- Buy a map of Bomarzo or the area before you leave or print one out from the Internet.
- Do your research well as this is not a popular area to go to and you may find that very few locals speak English.
- Take a small, light backpack with your supplies for the day, some snacks and plenty of water even in winter. There are hardly any shops in this area and finding water at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon can be a problem (unless you’re in the park then there is a café).
- There is a bit of walking to do from Bomarzo to the Monster Park so bring good, sturdy shoes and an umbrella in case of rain.
Have you been to Bomarzo and the Bomarzo Monster Park before? What was your favourite part of the trip? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem is the founder and main writer at The Museum Times. She works as a university lecturer by day and is an avid travel blogger and arts and culture enthusiast by night. Elizabeth started The Museum Times out of the need to give smaller, lesser-known museums more exposure.
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Great post! I loved visiting this place about a year and a half ago. But I only went to the Monster’s Park and I didn’t see the town itself. Looks charming. Have you been to Civita’ di Bagnoregio yet? In theory, you could visit Bomarzo in the morning, then spend the afternoon or evening in the “falling city.”
Hi Rick! Thanks so much for the comment. Really appreciate it 🙂 No I haven’t been to Civita’ di Bagnoregio but will definitely check it out – sounds amazing! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.
I have wanted to visit Bomarzo and the Sacro Bosco for years. I will be in Rome next year for about two months, and planned to include a trip there at that time. However, what you describe requires a lot of walking. I have a torn tendon in my foot that requires an ugly brace. Some days I can do a fair amount of walking, but the 20 min here and 20 min there sounds like it might be difficult for me. Is there anything you can suggest that might be easier?
Thanks so much for the comment. Perhaps you’d like to visit Ostia Antica instead? It’s about 40 minutes on the train from Rome and there are plenty of resting points in the vicinity. I honestly found it better than Pompeii!!
I plan to go there. What I am looking for is a way to see Villa Orsini without having to walk miles. If that is impossible, I would appreciate an honest answer so I can try and forget about that dream.
There is a bus to Bomarzo itself (and first you can take a train from Rome). The only walking would be from the town of Bomarza (on a hill) to the bottom of the hill where the park is and then back up again. It’s not too far but in the heat it isn’t easy so I suggest you rather go in autumn when things are a bit cooler! Good luck and let me know how your trip goes 🙂
One would think that there would be some sort of taxi service to Villa Orsini from Bomarzo. However, after nine trips to Italy, I have learned that what a reasonable person would expect is not something to be found in that country. For instance, there is not day trip to Ravenna from Venice. Taking the train involves changing to a different line and arriving just as siesta starts. Then has to wait and run through all the churches and the mausoleum in a short time. By that time, one must stay the night. All this to visit a city that is only about an hour from Venice. Of course, if one can get a few people together and rent a car, everything becomes simple.
I plan to be in Rome April 1. That is a cool time of year. Is the hike to the garden easier, worse, or about the same as Villa d’Este?
Thanks for the help.
Patricia
Thanks for the tips. they were helpful, since it seems pretty obscure how to get to Bomarzo, on any english speaking site you may find about Sacro Bosco.
My girlfriend and I had a little surprise though, that would have been ‘nice-to-know’; the busses from Viterbo to Bomarzo stops from 13:15 till 16:xx.
Since the park closes at sunset, if one doesn’t catch the latest bus 13:15, a taxi or personal transportation is the only way otherwise.
Apart from that, the trip is great, at the directions from this site was wonderful to have as notes when walking in the countryside, not quite sure if we were heading the right way.
I would advice every tourist to go. Period. When a bit tired of inner city rome, all the must-sees, galleries etc. this trip is perfect for a break from the fast pace city walk to have a little expedition in Italy as it is lived apart from the big city.
Personally I had a much greater experience in this park, than going to see the sistine chapel and museo vatican. Here you are thrown around by ignorant zombies in uniforms, taking some of the best art, any civilization ever made, as hostage charging you 16 € to hiss you around in their giant machine. not holy or enriching enviroment at all. Sacro Bosco has a charming receptionist, a great map, and most of all something not to expect – anywhere at all.
Again thank you for the tips. make sure to be at the busstop – lastest- 13:15 – and walk through the streets of Viterbo centre, its a nice italian town.
How much time would it take to see the garden and statues? You made it sound so interesting, but I am on a tight schedule driving from Rome to Montepulciano. Would you suggest stopping off if we only have a hour or so?
You could do it in under two hours but that’s a push 🙂 Good luck and thanks for your comment!
Hello, I am planing on visiting this park in a few weeks.
I was planning to do the 90min walk from Bomarzo train station. I am very comfortable doing the walk but I am becoming dubious on how safe the roads are to walk. It is very hard to see suitable walking paths for the majority of the journey.
I will still do this I guess :/
Any advise on this?
Hi John, the walk is tough but doable. Just wear hiking shoes or really comfortable trainers. It was quite a long time since I did it so can’t really remember the roads to be honest…but I don’t remember there being any traffic so I think it was ok. It was more tiring doing the walk than anything else. But definitely worth it of course!! Best of luck!
Dear John, the paths are tricky as there is no pavement and the bus doesn’t take you down into the park itself. I would advise asking someone for lift to the bottom to play safe.
Is it feasible to reach Bomarzo by train directly from Florence? The web-based information presumes visitors are coming from Rome, but we’re coming from Florence. Would like to avoid extending trip time/distance unnecessarily if possible.
Thanx!
Dear Kel, reaching Bomarzo directly is very tricky (as outlined in my post). You could try and take a train to Attigliano-Bomarzo and then from there you’d need to take a bus and also do some walking. So I would suggest staying overnight in the area somewhere as transport can be a problem and if you’re coming from Florence then it’s already 2.5 hours to get there. Hope that helps?
Hi- I’m interested in overnighting after visiting the park. What town is the best for hotel accommodations?
It’s a bit difficult to stay – there are many towns in the area so it depends on what you want really. You can just Google to get some ideas. I haven’t been to the others so I really cannot say.
Very informative article! It is true that Bomarzo is very tricky to get to and I have always visited and taken friends only by private transportation. Bomarzo’s park of Monsters or Sacred groove has still to this day a shroud of mystery surrounding it. I found it funny and interesting that to clean up the gardens after centuries of abandonment they used herds of sheep and goats. As mentioned in previous posts a fascinating nearby place to visit is Civita di Bagnoregio.
Dear Michele, Thanks ever so much for your comment. I really appreciate it! It’s definitely a fascinating place to visit indeed!