THE SACRED GROVE OF BOMARZO

At the entrance, as in all gardens, urns and basins of all kinds create the decor, the Arcadian atmosphere.

A series of acorns and pine cones, a heraldic allusion. They belong both separately and in common to the Orsinis and the Farneses. A way of emphasizing the domain's symbolism.

Erect, the bear holds the rose. In the 16th Century, plays on words were esteemed. Orsini [which sounds like Orsino, Italian for little bear]. Artists working for the House of Orsini often used bears and bear cubs in their depictions.

Step by step, the mystery thickens. Two sphinxes appear with marvelously classical features, but astonishingly piercing gazes.

Whoever enters here must prove that he can enter. To gain the right to pass, the riddle of the sphinxes must be solved.