In the castle city of Bomarzo, Vicino Orsini completed the construction of his ancestral home with evocative decor and emblematic inscriptions; later, in the mid-16th century, he dedicated his time to the “boschetto”, a thicket in the valley, creating an amazing park of sculptures set in an extraordinary natural landscape and among Etruscan remains. The enormous rocks found in the area were skilfully “worked” by still largely unknown artists who turned them into winged dragons, giant tortoises, two-tailed sirens, fish with enormous mouths, colossal gods, sphinxes, Pegasus, Cerberus, a huge Orcus and Bears holding the family emblem. There are also some complex scenes: one is the elephant with a siege tower and a warrior on its back, and carrying the lifeless body of another soldier with its trunk, a possible allusion to Vicino’s son who died in the Battle of Lepanto; another is a group with Orlando who having become mad is dismembering a shepherd’s body. Winding paths lead to new sights, small alcoves alternate with theatrical spaces, and a harmonious temple counterpoints the crazy leaning house: the whole park is a conceptual maze of metaphors and symbols, the result of an exchange of ideas between Vicino and illustrious humanists such as Annibal Caro, Claudio Tolomei and Cardinal Madruzzo. After Vicino’s death in 1585 and various changes of ownership, the site was abandoned for a long period and became overgrown with brambles until it was discovered half way through the last century. Since then, it has fascinated and intrigued those willing to decipher its meaning or simply enjoy a magical place.