Journal Publication

Tuscia Up - Online Journal
2015

Last weekend I traveled to Bomarzo with a friend and classmate, Tiffany. We were told before we left that there would be a bus to Bomarzo from the Attigliano train station. When we arrived and asked a barista where the bus was, we were informed that there is no public transportation and no taxis to get to Bomarzo. The man told us that it is a 7 km walk to the town. Being American and only knowing the American measurement system, we weren’t sure exactly how far 7 km was. So we started walking. After walking for a mile or two we realized that 7 km is a long way to walk.

Fortunately for us a nice British couple pulled over and gave us a lift up the hill. The man said that 40 years ago he had studied abroad in Italy and it has always been the couples dream to live here. Eight years ago their dreams came true and now they apparently spend their days saving lost travelers lives. They gave us some history on the Park of Monsters and dropped us off at the front door.

The park is beautiful. It was built with the intention to invoke philosophical thought. Most of the “monsters” were carved from the rocks that had already been in place in the environment. You could spend hours gazing at the magnificent stones. Each of them is modeled after a mythological creature or person; they all have great histories and they all are beautiful.

While we were in the park we saw some caretakers working to preserve the beauty and structural  integrity of the “monsters”. Because it was still winter, most of the trees were barren, but there was still an abundance of green space. There is a stream that runs through the park and small waterfalls near the some of the monsters.

On our way home we faced the same dilemma that we had on the way there. We had again been walking for about two miles, before a friendly young couple from Rome pulled over and offered to give us a ride. They had decided to do something out-of-routine that day and visit the park. They noticed us walking home and were kind enough to help us get to the train station.

Tiffany and I will be forever grateful for the kind couples who saved us from our gruesome walks to and from Bomarzo. My friends and I will return to the park in the summer time when the trees are green. I would recommend a day-trip visit to anyone who has a free day in the Tuscia region, and a car.

Body: Canon 70D
Lens: Canon EF 18-55mm
Location: Bomarzo, Lazio, Italy

“LIFE/ Mychelle Vincent: Discovering Bomarzo”