Bomarzo · The Great Mouth in the Woods

In the “Sacred Grove” at Bomarzo stand dozens of stone sculptures: a monster with a great open mouth (inside it is carved the phrase “forget your troubles”), wrestling giants, a tortoise carrying a small temple, and an elephant lying on its back.

The owner, Duke Orsini, designed the garden himself, saying it was to commemorate his dead wife; the story that he “died” once at his father’s funeral has also been used by later writers to explain the strangeness of the garden.

The rule of the garden is that you must not climb on the monsters. One mouth is shaped like a seat, and visitors tend to stand inside it to speak — the voice comes out very low.

Occult Chronicles / Lazio · Italy / 1552