Today we came to Sacro Bosco with my friends. This is a sacred park located 95 kilometers north of Rome. It's a park filled with fairytale sculptures. This astonishing park includes a forest filled with mossy trees and within this forest, there are mysterious stone sculptures, waterfalls, mythological characters, fairytale creatures, interesting structures and philosophical inscriptions. All the sculptures in the park are carved from giant stones and appear to emerge from the ground. Many of these monsters have been well preserved over the five centuries since their creation. The movie "House of Monsters" was also filmed in this park.
The history of Sacro Bosco is mentioned on information boards at the entrance. This mysterious forest was built by Prince Pier Francesco Orsini. The Orsini family was quite noble, with five Popes coming from this family. Pier Francesco Orsini himself was a soldier and participated in many campaigns. He was captured in 1553 and imprisoned for two years. After his release, Orsini decided to build a park, abandoning his military career. The ideas for creating the park belonged only to the prince and the famous architects Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Pirro Ligorio helped him. The name of Sacro Bosco (Sacred Forest) can also be translated as "Wonderful Forest" in Italian, meaning a forest filled with wonderful things. Orsini himself gave it the name "Strange Garden".
The first thing we encountered was the head of Proteus, the son of Neptune. There is a globe on top of the head and Orsini Castle crowns it, symbolizing Orsini's dominion over the world. Next, the statue of the Battle of the Titans can be seen. Here, Hercules is tearing apart Cacus. Among other sculptures, there are interesting ones such as an elephant swallowing a man, dogs attacking a dragon and unnaturally open women's legs.
To shelter from the summer heat, there was a stone cave we could take refuge in, which was the head of Orcus, the queen of Hades. The entrance is in the shape of a mouth and the tongue is in the form of a table. This mouth has a notable feature; any sound emitted here spreads throughout the park. Orsini's heirs did not have the means to sustain Sacro Bosco and the park fell into disrepair and was overgrown with wild plants. Legends about evil spirits living in these places even emerged. At one point, it began to be called the "monster park". In 1645, Bomarzo was sold to the Lante family and then passed to the Borghese family. Both families were quite renowned. The current owner of the park is Giovanni Bettini, who has been involved in landscape design, restoration and opening it to visitors. Many things in the park were made thanks to his late wife Tina Bettini. Nowadays, the park has returned to its former glory.
The park in Bomarzo can be viewed in different ways, but one thing is undisputed. Its creator, Francesco Orsini, was an extraordinary and remarkable figure of his time. And even now, his work is unlike anything else, original and unforgettable. The park always preserves many unsolved mysteries for us. I don't know what to compare it to. Maybe it can be partly compared to Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra. It's open every day. We visited on the weekend. In case of rain, we noticed that disposable raincoats (folded packages) are available at the entrance. It's a bit difficult to go without a car: you need to go from Rome to Viterbo, then take the Cotral bus to Bomarzo. We went to Attigliano-Bomarzo station by train and then walked 8 kilometers from there. I would only recommend this route for necessary situations. There is a part of the road that turns into a mountain climb. Luckily, a local person took us in this section and took us to the turn of the park. It was easier to return because the road was downhill, but it was still dangerous due to the turns. The park is like a real fairy tale. I think it deserves all the effort required to get there.
It took us half a day to explore the Sacro Bosco forest. Later, we went to the Cascata delle Marmore waterfalls. These waterfalls are located approximately an hour away from the sacred forest and are located in the Umbria region. The Marmore Waterfalls are one of those places that etch themselves into your heart forever. You remember them not with pictures, but with feelings. When you close your eyes, you find yourself there again, amidst the tumultuous waters, feeling like you can't escape.
The Marmore Waterfalls are one of the symbols of the Terni province. They are considered one of the largest waterfalls in Europe. With a total height of 165 meters, the water falls down in three "jumps". The name "Marmore" is derived from the calcium salts in the rocks where the water falls, giving the rock surface a marble-like appearance. The visiting hours of the waterfall are limited because there is a central hydroelectric power plant here.
There is a beautiful legend about the Marmore Waterfalls. The nymph Nera fell in love with the shepherd Velino. The gods (in some versions Jupiter, in others Juno) approached the nymph's and the shepherd's love with jealousy. Nera was transformed into a river. Velino did not want to leave the woman he loved and jumped from the rock. He also became a river - a branch of Nera - and a waterfall formed where he jumped.
The real story of the Marmore Waterfalls is also as interesting as the legend. This waterfall was actually created artificially by humans. It was built by ancient Roman engineers. The Roman consul ordered the digging of a canal to collect stagnant water. The canal was brought to the rock. Thus, the Marmore Waterfalls were created handmade. At different times, the canal and therefore the waterfall have sometimes been in better, sometimes in worse condition. Finally, in 1929, a hydroelectric power plant was built here and alongside production purposes, tourist interests were also taken into account. Therefore, I think there is a program for tourists and electricity production for this waterfall now.
There are two entrance-exit points to the park - below and above and admission is charged. A ticket for an adult is 8 euros and for children up to 12 years old, it is 5 euros. The brochure given when buying tickets at the ticket office indicated the hiking route. It was quite vaguely indicated, but it was impossible to get lost 😊 On the way, there are caves that are prohibited to enter, arches made of rocks, strange growing trees and other natural beauties specific to the valley. The largest tunnel carved in the mountain is called the Tunnel of Love and ends, as you might imagine, at the Lovers' Balcony. Below, there are a few more observation terraces and a nice green corner; it's much more enjoyable than wandering the city streets on a hot day.
You can see the most comprehensive view of the waterfall, all three tiers, from afar, by looking from below. From the terrace above, you can only see one tier, the top one, but up close. Therefore, if you just want to see it, I think you can see the waterfall from below without entering the park area. But still, the closer, the more interesting.
And there was mist and a rainbow everywhere. It was really incredibly beautiful. We loved this place so much that we waited for the water to close without rushing. It was a bit sad, like watching an interesting movie come to an end. Unfortunately, everything beautiful comes to an end one day. And another beautiful thing begins, hopefully 😊
I recommend it as a beautiful travel alternative and definitely advise spending a day with sacred forests and waterfalls.