Near central Italy is the town of Bomarzo, a picturesque location in the Italian countryside that would be a fitting backdrop for a romance movie about forbidden love during the Second World War. In the town, there’s a park called Sacro Bosco (Sacred Grove) but it’s become known as Parco dei Mostri (Park of Monsters). As ominous as the name sounds, it’s actually a beautiful park you can spend hours or days in exploring. The park earned its name due to the number of statues that depict creatures carved out of the bedrock amongst the forest.
Roma Wonder
The layout of the park was designed by Pirro Ligorio and the sculptures carved by Simone Moschino in the 16th century. The park was said to have been neglected in the 19th century till artist Salvador Dalí made a short film about the park that sparked interest resulting in a restoration project to cut back the woods that had overgrown the part and opening it for the public.
Map of the park showing where the Monsters are.
Guillermo del Toro tweeted about the park mentioning that it inspired one of his biggest films, Pan’s Labyrinth, looking at pictures from the park’s website you would have to agree, you can imagine Pan appearing from behind one of the statues, or… the Pale Man!
Bomarzo – the sacred monster park in Italy. Big inspiration for Pan's Labyrinth. pic.twitter.com/ixjZUPRO1U
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) February 16, 2017
