Created over a period of 20 years from 1552, Bomarzo is the strange legacy of an eccentric sixteenth-century duke called Pier Francesco Orsini, known by the nickname ‘Vicino’, who threw himself into the making of this extraordinary garden after the death of his wife. The fabric of this garden near Rome was a series of bizarre statues carved out of huge chunks of volcanic rock; grotesque beasts and mythical creatures that were designed to shock rather than please the eye, taking visitors on a philosophical journey through the woodland valley beneath his hilltop castle. Known locally as the Sacro Bosco (sacred wood) and Il Parco dei Mostri (park of monsters), it was abandoned after its creator's death, and only rediscovered in the early 20th century when Salvador Dali brought it back to public attention after he made a short film there. The park is open to the public daily. To see the full article that appeared in House & Garden click here.