On a nice end-of-November sunny weekend, my brother and I decided to do a day trip and visit a few places north of Rome. In about an hour by train, we reached the train station of Attigliano, a small town in the Umbria region. From there we decided to head on foot and reach our first stop of the day. We first passed by a supermarket where we bought some stuff to have lunch later in the day, then after just a few kilometers we crossed the Tiber river and reached the small town of Mugnano in Teverina located in the Lazio region. The fog which had settled in during the morning started to fade out as we reached the top of the hill where the town was located and a nice shining sun would accompany us from then on. From there we had a great view of the surrounding landscape, consisting of gentle hills on one side and the Tiber river and its surrounding plain on the other. We walked through the tiny center of the town and admired the old architecture including a surviving medieval tower once part of the wall that encircled the town. At the center stands the imposing Palazzo Orsini, a 16th-century palace once belonging to the powerful Orsini family and nowadays turned into a hotel. The southern side features a nice loggia which we could see from the street and which seemed to have frescoed walls as well. From the town, we then followed a trail that took us through the forest and up a hill passing along a nice via cava, an ancient trench built inside the rock during the Etruscan period. From the top, we had a great view of the valley below and decided to then follow a tight trail that took us through the forest and rocky terrain down below. We then approached an incredible sight, the Etruscan Pyramid, a large volcanic rock that featured a set of steps leading to its top. Not much is known regarding it, but it is believed to be probably an ancient sacrificial rock or religious temple from the Etruscan period. After exploring the pyramid and its surroundings we then headed back up the same trail and continued onwards through the forest until we came in sight of the town of Bomarzo. Here we decided to visit its old town characterized by the typical tufaceous buildings. At its center stands the large Palazzo Orsini, a 16th century palaced build over a pre-existing medieval castle which in fact gives the impression of a defensive structure rather than a palace. Behind the palace, facing the tiny pretty central square is the Duomo. Built in the renaissance style it features a nice elegant facade and a simple interior. After walking around and admiring the center we then headed downhill and in the direction of the town's main attraction. The Sacro Bosco or sacred forest, also known as the Park of the Monsters is a garden located in a wooded valley bottom beneath the town of Bomarzo. Created during the 16th century by Pier Francesco Orsini to cope with his grief after the death of his wife. it features grotesque sculptures and small buildings all made from the local bedrock. After paying for the entrance ticket, we headed into the park and started exploring the interesting sculptures inside it. The first sculptures we encountered were a pair of sphinxes that feature a welcome inscription for the visitor. The park was also supposed to astonish and confuse and not please the guests, as it also contains many references to ancient literature and a large array of arcane symbolism. Continuing on the trail we then encountered the statue of Proteus and that of Hercules and Cacus fighting, the latter being the largest sculpture in the whole park. Then come the statues of a tortoise and that of a fountain with Pegasus, the first symbolizing stability and longevity and the second, passion and instinctive impetuosity. Then followed a few other statues such as a theatre, a nymphaeum, and Venus before reaching the interesting Casa Pendente, or leaning house. One of the most interesting attractions of the Park, this small building was built on a sloping boulder and therefore deliberately leaning; the interior thus features an irregular slope causing a loss in those who enter it. A little further we then encountered the statues of Ceres, Neptune, Proserpina, Echidna, a dragon, an elephant holding a roman legionary, and a few other minor ones. In the midst of all of them stands probably the most interesting and famous statue of them all, the one representing Orcus. It is a large stone face with a wide-open mouth representing the god of the underworld on whose upper lip the words "ogni pensiero vola" ("all thoughts fly"), are inscribed. This suggests how the acoustics of the mouth allow any whisper made inside to be clearly heard by anyone standing at the base of the steps. Inside the mouth is also a stone table/bench onto which people dined, producing the effect of simultaneously eating and being eaten. The last structure, located on the highest point of the park, is a small temple and memorial to Giulia Farnese, Francesco Orsini's wife whom he dedicated the park to. It is an octagonal building with a mixture of classical, Renaissance, and Etruscan genres. It currently houses the tombs of Giovanni Bettini and Tina Severi, the owners who restored the garden in the last century. In fact, during the 19th and 20th centuries, the garden became overgrown and neglected, with an old photo showing sheep grazing among the sculptures, which were at the time all amassed closed to each other. The Bettini family purchased the site and then implemented a restoration program that lasted throughout the 1970s setting up the sculptures in the place where they are today. After going around once more through the park we decided it was time to head back. We retraced our steps up to the town and then continued on along the main road until we were back in the town of Attigliano. Here we walked through the tiny old town, admiring the sun setting in the distance, before finally catching our train back to Rome.
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