Rome Travel Guide

Rome Architecture, History, Art, Museums, Galleries, Fashion, Music, Photos, Walking and Hiking Itineraries, Neighborhoods, News and Social Commentary, Politics, Things to Do in Rome and Environs. Over 900 posts

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Parco dei mostri: If Walt Disney had lived 600 years ago

“Parco dei mostri” or “Monster Park” is a wondrous 16th century Disneyland about 40 miles from Rome.  We found its fantastical sculptures, well, fantastic.  I don’t know if today’s kids, brought up with CGI and 3D, would appreciate it, but these kids sure do.

Funded and founded by the great Orsini family, one can marvel that it remains intact today, almost 600 years later.
The park managers have gotten savier, and now charge Eur10 for admission (Eur8 for children 4-8).  When we were last there, the snack bar reminded us of those from our 1950s car vacations through the Southwest.  Now they even have a fairly decent website, in Italian and English.

Parco dei mostri is about 12 miles outside Viterbo, a town worth visiting in itself.  (Even closer  than Parco dei mostri to Viterbo is the small town of Bagnaia, famous for Villa Lante, which Dianne will visit in a future post.) There's a frequent train from Rome to Viterbo.
Dianne

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