Bomarzo is a town and comune of the province of Viterbo (Lazio, central Italy), in the lower valley of the Tiber. It is located 14.5 km ENE of Viterbo and 68 km NNW of Rome.
Its current name is a derivation of Polymartium, first mentioned in the Historia Langobardorum by Paulus Diaconus. The etymology "polis martium", city of Mars, suggests a Roman origin. However, archeological evidence for a Roman city has not been found so far.
It was a histor...
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Bomarzo is a town and comune of the province of Viterbo (Lazio, central Italy), in the lower valley of the Tiber. It is located 14.5 km ENE of Viterbo and 68 km NNW of Rome.
Its current name is a derivation of Polymartium, first mentioned in the Historia Langobardorum by Paulus Diaconus. The etymology "polis martium", city of Mars, suggests a Roman origin. However, archeological evidence for a Roman city has not been found so far.
It was a historical fiefdom of the Orsini family, whose castle is at the edge of the densely-built town, until it was sold to the Lante family in 1645.
Bomarzo's main attraction is a garden (located at 42°29′29.88″N 12°14′51.27″E / 42.4916333°N 12.247575°E / 42.4916333; 12.247575) usually referred to as the Bosco Sacro (Sacred grove) or, locally, Bosco dei Mostri ("Monsters' Grove"), named after the many larger-than-life sculptures, some sculpted in the bedrock, which populate this predominantly barren landscape.
It is the work of Pier Francesco Orsini,...
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