Browsing Tag

Ancient Mysteries

Into the Woods: A Visit to Bomarzo’s Monster Park

We made our way to Bomarzo’s Monster Park on a beautiful autumn day. It was early enough that the morning fog still hung over the woods adding a decidedly forbidding atmosphere to the place. 

With its strange and beautiful sculptures, eerie wooded pathways and vertigo-inducing tipsy house, I wondered for a moment if Lewis Carroll had taken inspiration from Bomarzo for his Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The dragon symbolizes time and wisdom, rather than destruction. At Bomarzo, the dragon fights a dog, lion, and wolf representing spring, summer and winter.

While appearing completely contemporary, this unconventional garden near Viterbo, Italy was commissioned by Prince Pier Francesco “Vicino” Orsini in 1552.    Known for their balance, order and harmony, classical 16th century Italian gardens with their careful geometric designs and extravagant water features seemed to celebrate man’s control over nature. Not so, the wild and woodsy Bomarzo.  

Bomarzo’s winding, woodsy paths are full of surprises.
The giant jaws of the whale warn visitors away from the water.

Created by architect Pirro Ligorio in the Mannerist style, this garden is almost a rebellion against order and a tribute to life’s unpredictability. That’s what makes it so much fun to visit.

Proteus, Neptune’s son, comes from the legend of Glauco, a fisherman who became a sea god.

Instead of being adjacent to or surrounding the owner’s villa like most gardens of the period, this one flourishes in a nearby wood, nearly hidden from view from the palace above.

Il Sacro Bosco, the Sacred Wood, is the opposite of the well-ordered classical 16th century Italian garden.

There is no rhyme or reason to this garden. There doesn’t seem to be a relationship between the sculptures and their placement in the park, though that could have everything to do with the fact that they were all carved from gigantic rocks where the stone stood.

Statues were carved on-site from stones where they stood.

Il Sacro Bosco or the Sacred Wood, as the Monster Park is also known, is home to mermaids, sphinx, dragons, nymphs, fountains, a giant tortoise, and a heroic Hercules, among other fantastical sculptures.

The tortoise symbolizes the feminine powers of water and ancient knowledge.

Originally the sculptures would have been painted in bright colors.  None of that remains today though some pieces are covered in downy green moss. I was slightly disappointed to see the tortoise had recently had her nice coat of soft green moss removed. She was still a striking figure though. 

An elephant carrying a castle was a popular medieval symbol and reference to Hannibal’s use of elephants to invade the Italian peninsula.
This elephant, holding a wounded or dead soldier, represents Rome’s victories and defeats.

Many of the Bomarzo’s sculptures have historical, religious and cultural significance.  Some are meant to be puns or puzzles.  Others may have had meanings long lost over the nearly 500 years since the garden was created. 

The brochure we received with our tickets gave explanations for all of the 35 key sculptures, as well as serving as a guide through the park.  

The sleeping nymph, which represents purity in Greek mythology, is both human and divine.

The Ogre, or L’Orco, king of the underworld, is at the center of the garden and one of the most popular sculptures at Bomarzo. Who doesn’t want to climb inside?

I found a photo of surrealist artist Salvador Dali sitting in the “Mouth of Hell” in 1938. He was so inspired by the Monster Park that he made a short film about the gardens.

A school group posed in front of the giant sculpture amid much jostling and laughter, clearly enjoying the monsters and whimsical creatures throughout the park.

The inscription above the entrance says, “Abandon all thought,” a reference, and maybe a tribute, to Dante Alighiere’s Divine Comedy- Inferno. Dante writes a warning above the Gates of Hell, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” Don’t be put off. Inside the mouth, visitors will find cool respite and a small built-in table and seats.  It’s a perfect place for contemplation and perhaps a picnic.

Just try to walk around inside the Leaning House without losing your balance! I couldn’t do it.

Another popular stop, the Leaning House doesn’t seem so disorienting until you get inside and try to explore the rooms. It is a vertiginous experience at best and not a place to linger; purposefully, scholars think. There’s not much to see inside other than the family crest and motto. Some believe that the house represents the Orsini family’s falling fortunes, but nearly 500 years on, the house still stands!

Proserpina welcomes visitors to the hippodrome area.

Hiding around every corner or peeking through the trees are heroic and monumental figures.  Proserpina, wife of Pluto, stands in for Diana and Juno greeting visitors with open arms.  An enormous Hercules, a protector of good, is shown subduing the evil Caucus.  Ceres appears with her circle of babies.

Hercules, protecting the poor, vanquishes Caucus, who stole food from them.

Neptune towers over the basin, while the open jaws of a whale warn visitors away from the water. Nearby, a giant nymph is both human and divine, a reference to the sleeping Ariadne. There are the Furies, a pegasus, dolphins, lions, and other mythical and magical creatures throughout the garden.

The Winged Fury is of Greek origin and also played an important role in Roman religion. The Furies were considered guardians of national glory and the fertility of the soil.

There are large vases with inscriptions no longer decipherable, benches with messages in Latin, and much more that surprise and delight visitors around every turn.

Some of the benches have Latin inscriptions.
Scholars think this sculpture represents Bacchus’s descent into hell, goblet in hand. Medusa’s head is carved into the bottom of the giant vase.

Il Sacro Bosco was created as a memorial to Prince Orsini’s late wife, Guilia Farnese, of the wealthy Farnese family.  Their money helped fund the garden, which her broken-hearted husband intended as a manifestation of his grief and a place of shock and surprise.

Il Sacro Bosco was created as a tribute to Orsini’s late wife, Guilia Farnese.

A Pegasus in the garden represents the Farnese family; Orsini’s in-laws. The Temple of Eternity was built 20 years after the original garden as a memorial to Guilia and was designed with roses associated with the Orsini family.

Wander as you like, but if you follow the suggested trail in the park’s brochure you’ll see all of the key sculptures and sights in this fascinating garden.

Visitors are welcome to wander freely through the paths, but following the trail outlined on the brochure’s itinerary will ensure that you won’t miss a single one of the extraordinary sculptures and sights waiting in the Sacred Wood at Bomarzo. While the traditional gardens of the period we visited, including Villa Farnese, Villa Lante and Villa D’Este, are stunning, Bomarzo is absolutely fascinating. We’ve never experienced anyplace like it!

Written and photographed by Jeanne Neylon Decker

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Portugal’s Mysterious Megaliths and Where to Find Them

Lisbon’s Museu Nacional de Arqueologia has numerous treasures including megaliths.

We saw our first megalith in Lisbon’s Museum of Archeology and we were intrigued. What were these stones with their strange markings? Where could we see more of them? It turns out the largest collection of megaliths on the Iberian peninsula is located less than two hours from Lisbon in the Alentejo region not far from Evora, the area’s capital city.

Drive in the direction of Nossa Senhora de Guadalup through the beautiful forests of cork oak trees to reach Almendres Cromlech.

There are numerous places to see megaliths in Portugal, many in the Alentejo. Cromeleque dos Almendres, or Almendres Cromlech, is the largest and most prominent site. Older than Stonehenge, Cromeleque dos Almendres is located about seven kilometers off the main road, the N114, driving towards Evora from Lisbon. SInce we had planned to visit Evora after Lisbon we decided to include a stop to see these archaeological wonders.

The megaliths are in a large clearing, surrounded by cork oak trees.

Head in the direction of Nossa Senhora de Guadalup through the beautiful forests of cork oak trees. The dirt road is clearly marked with signs pointing you in the direction of Cromeleque dos Almendres and Menhir dos Almendres. You will either need to drive or take a taxi to get here. There is no public transportation available.

There were no services or visitors center on our first visit to see the menhirs, but now there is. The Centro Interpretativo dos Alemendres near the tiny town of Guadalupe is a welcome addition to the area. In addition to outdoor panels with educational information in Portuguese and English, the Center has a helpful staff, restrooms, a small cafe and a gift shop. You can get a map showing the location of other megaliths here, as well as additional information about the area.

Visitors can wander freely around the 95 remaining megaliths, or menhirs, at Almendres Cromlech.

About 95 of the granite megaliths, also called menhirs, still stand in the area and date back to the Neolithic Period (4th and 5th century BC). The stones at Almendres Cromlech are arranged to form two rings and visitors are free to wander all around the area, though touching the stones is discouraged.

The Cromeleque dos Almendres is older than Stonehenge.

The earliest stones were believed to have been placed here in 6000 BC and that ancient peoples used the area at Almendres Cromlech until 3000 BC for religious purposes. There is still a great deal of mystery surrounding the purpose of the stones, their placement and the markings on them, but there is speculation that the site had astrological significance due to its latitudinal location.

The placement, purpose and meaning of the megaliths remains largely a mystery.

There is a map of the enclosure on site, which identifies particular menhirs and describes various markings on the different stones.

Helpful signs in English and Portuguese explain the history of Almendres Cromlech and a map of the area shows where the most important stones are located.

 

This is identified as megalith number 1 on the posted diagram. The markings are clearly visible.

 

A careful examination is required to see the ancient markings on many of the stones. Here’s a close up look at one.

 

Admission to the site is free. Guided tours can be arranged.

We chose to take a self-guided exploration of the area but guided tours can be easily arranged. We met a Canadian couple who had hired a tour company to take them out to Almendres Cromlech. The tour company provided transport and their well-informed guide explained the mysteries of this ancient site to them. They thoroughly enjoyed their visit.

Admission to the site is free and there is plenty of parking.

Written and photographed by Jeanne Neylon Decker

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 Note: This post was updated Aug. 2026.

 

An Afternoon with Otzi the Iceman: International Man of Mystery

He’s an international man of mystery, media darling, and a murder victim. Otzi the Iceman was brutally killed about 5,300 years ago and is the oldest known natural human mummy in Europe. A German couple hiking the Otzal Alps discovered his body on September 19, 1991 on a glacier in Northern Italy about 100 meters across the Austrian border — thus his nickname.  We spent an afternoon with Otzi, not far from his birthplace in the Dolomites.

Otzi’s final resting place is the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano Bozen, not far from where he was born and where his body was discovered 5,300 years later.

Custody Battle for Mummy

After a brief custody dispute (both Austria and Italy laid claim to Otzi) research on his mummified body began at Innsbruck University in Austria. He has found a final resting place at Italy’s South Tyrol Museum of Archeology in Bolzano/ Bozen.  Today, the entire museum is dedicated to Otzi and life in the Copper Age.  Visitors can peek through a small glass window to view Otzi’s body, which is kept in a climate controlled, sealed vault.  Be patient, there is always a line to see him.

Otzi’s body is preserved in a viewable, climate- controlled vault but signage asks visitors to be respectful and refrain from photographing his remains. This acrylic model is provided for photos.
Scientists have created a remarkably life-like reconstruction of Otzi, one of the world’s most fascinating murder victims and Europe’s oldest natural human mummy.

A 3-D reconstruction gives a surprisingly lifelike depiction of what Otzi would have looked like. He was believed to be 45 years old when he met his untimely death. At 5’3’’ and 110 lbs., he was short and stocky, but muscular. He wasn’t in the pink of health when his life was cut short, though.  He had tooth decay, parasites and H. pylori, which would have caused numerous gastric issues.  Scientists were able to retrieve and identify the contents of his stomach which included his last meal—red deer meat, unleavened bread, fruit, and an herb called hop hornbeam.  He likely took that to ease his tummy troubles. His hair had high levels of arsenic and copper particles, possibly from smelting copper, which may also have contributed to his ill health. None of these things killed him though.

Otzi’s goat hide leggings, bearskin hat, and other garments were remarkably well preserved after 5,300 years entombed in a glacier.
Otzi’s leggings would have extended into his shoes for warmth and protection from the snow and rain.

What He Wore

The garments and accessories Otzi was wearing when he met his demise were remarkably well preserved by his years of glacial entombment.  His lambskin loincloth, goat hide coat and leggings, and bearskin hat are all on exhibit, along with what remains of his shoes with their cow hide laces.  His shoes are really something to see- made from bearskin soles, deer hide uppers and tree bark netting, they were lined with grasses that acted like socks and cushioned his feet for the long treks he made through the mountains.  

Bearskin, deerskin, tree bark netting and hay-like grasses went into the construction of his shoes. Here you can see the structural foundation as well as what remains of his well worn shoes.

Even his deerskin quiver and arrows survive.  Because of the variety of animal skins used in his clothing and accessories, researchers believe that Otzi kept and herded domesticated animals like sheep, goats and cows. Domestication of these animals was earlier than was previously thought, thanks to research done on Otzi.

Scientists discovered blood, not his own, on Otzi’s goat skin coat, adding to the mystery around his murder.

He also had a grass cape with him, either to wear as a raincoat or to sleep upon—or maybe both.  Displays show how all of his garments fit together to protect him from the elements—pretty complicated!

Drawings indicate how Otzi would have dressed. Fitting each item together was a lot more complicated than you’d imagine.

Tatoos!

Otzi liked ink!  He is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest person on earth to sport tattoos. His body is adorned with 61 of them made by rubbing charcoal dust into fresh wounds. These are certainly not the elaborate tattoos seen today—they’re mostly crosses and lines on his back, ribs, wrist and legs and may have been used for pain relief.

The copper head on Otzi’s axe came from far-away Tuscany, which meant he traveled widely or traded or both.

Researchers have been able to piece together a great deal about the life and times of Otzi the Iceman based on his clothing and the items found alongside him.  He had a copper-bladed axe, which would have made him a high-status individual.  The copper was from Tuscany, quite a distance away, so he traveled or traded or both. He also had a flint dagger from the Lake Garda area, arrows, incomplete shafts and longbow, plus a net.  Otzi was a hunter.  

The articles found near his body give us great insights into Otzi’s lifestyle and activities. A backpack frame, shown here, was one of many personal belongings discovered with him in 1991.

He had several wooden tools used to fashion clothes or utensils—he would have needed these to make repairs or construct needed items on his long treks.  He also had a birch bark cylinder likely used to carry hot embers for quickly starting a cook fire and a complex fire-starting kit. These would have been handy on his journeys for cooking and for warmth.  Otzi has shown us that people travelled more widely than previously believed during the Copper Age, trading goods, services and knowledge.

Visitors can examine Otzi’s clothing, weapons, even the contents of his last meal, and learn what scientists have finally determined was his cause of death.

Who or What Killed Otzi?

Researchers know what the iceman wore and ate and likely what he did for a living, but mystery surrounded his murder until 2012.  Was he struck in the head with a blunt object? Stabbed? Shot in the back with an arrow? Was there a fight?  Or all of these things? Scrappy Otzi was definitely a hunter and a fighter. Blood from four different individuals was found on Otzi’s dagger, coat and on one of his arrows which could mean a battle. He had several broken ribs that had healed before death, and he had been struck in the head.  His brain had evidence of clots which could have been from blunt force trauma that then caused stroke or embolism.  He also had stab wounds on his hands. The likeliest cause of death was the arrow lodged in his left shoulder.  Finally, in 2012, researchers agreed that Otzi had bled to death from the arrow wound.

Otzi and the mysteries surrounding him have made him a popular media subject across the globe.

Otzi’s discovery made quite a stir worldwide and was also marked by controversy.  Once the significance of the find was reported, numerous people claimed to have found the body. The museum has an exhibit detailing much of the media coverage around him. Otzi is so scientifically important; the museum has a specific evacuation plan for him should a crisis arise that could damage him. He has opened a window into life in the Copper Age that would have remained closed, had those hikers not stumbled upon him back in 1991.

Helmut and Erika Simon, a German couple, were credited with finding Otzi’s body on the Tisenjoss Pass, just over the Austrian border in Italy, while hiking in the Otzel Alps.

Otzi’s Lineage Continues

In 2012 Otzi’s genome was sequenced using a bit of his hip bone, revealing he had brown eyes, type O blood, a predisposition to heart disease, was lactose intolerant, and may have had Lyme disease. His maternal line is extinct, but his paternal lineage is intact. In 2013, 19 Austrian men from a group of 3,700 tested, shared a unique genetic mutation with Otzi. Scientists believe that his descendants would have settled between the Dolomites and Sardinia— his genetic profile has much in common with Sardinians today —and that there are likely more of them alive today.

Our afternoon with Otzi was fascinating and we’d highly recommend a visit if you’re in the Bolzano/ Bozen area. For more information, click here.

Written and photographed by Jeanne Neylon Decker

Protected by US Copyright laws.