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Day itinerary · 42.41° N · 12.24° E

Caprarola and Bomarzo in a day, the palace of the maps and the wood of the giants.

An hour and a quarter from Rome: the Farnese pentagonal palace, a lunch from 1895 in Caprarola, Lake Vico and the afternoon among the monsters of Bomarzo.

Leaving from
Direct flight to Roma fromBarcelona 1 h 45Alicante 2 h 15Bilbao 2 h 15Valencia 2 h 15Zaragoza 2 h 15Madrid 2 h 30Asturias 2 h 45Málaga 2 h 45Sevilla 2 h 45Fuerteventura 4 h 30Flight times are approximate.
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Part of Caprarola and Bomarzo

The Farnese palace of Caprarola, with its pentagonal plan above the villageLivioandronico2013 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Total time10 h
By car1 h 15 each way
From Rome1 h 15 by car
TicketsPalace €10 · Sacro Bosco €15
WalkingAbout 3 h
DifficultyEasy
Best timeApril – June · September – November

The plan

The day at a glance

Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.

  1. Leave Rome 1 h 15 by car

    Cassia to Monterosi and the Cimina

  2. 1
    Farnese Palace in Caprarola

    Royal staircase and the Map Room · €10 with the park

  3. 5 min on foot
  4. 2
    The secret gardens and park of the Farnese Palace

    Secret gardens and the palazzina

  5. 10 min on foot
  6. 3
    Trattoria del Cimino

    Tuscia cooking since 1895 · book at weekends

    Via Filippo Nicolai, 44, 01032 Caprarola · +39 0761 646173

    Restaurant €€
    Book
  7. 15 min by car9 km
  8. 4
    Lake Vico and its nature reserve

    Stroll along the crater rim

  9. 45 min by car32 km
  10. 5
    The Sacro Bosco of Bomarzo, the Monster Park

    €15 · ages 4 to 13, €9 · dogs in the kennels at the entrance

  11. Back home

    A1 from Orte or Attigliano, about an hour and a quarter

Approximate cost About €20–35 per person

Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.

The route

Farnese Palace in Caprarola

A day trip from Rome by car: two faces of the Renaissance half an hour apart. In the morning, the pentagonal palace that Cardinal Farnese raised in Caprarola; in the afternoon, the wood of stone monsters that Vicino Orsini carved in Bomarzo.

The day, hour by hour

8:15 · Leave Rome. By the Cassia to Monterosi and the Cimina, about an hour and a quarter. Park below in Caprarola and walk up Via Dritta.

9:30 · Palazzo Farnese. The royal spiral staircase, the circular courtyard and the Hall of the World Map. €10 with the park.

11:15 · The gardens. Behind the palace, the secret gardens, a wood with fountains and the summer palazzina.

12:30 · Lunch at the Trattoria del Cimino. In the centre of Caprarola, run by the same family since 1895. Open on Sunday at lunchtime; closed on Mondays.

14:15 · Lake Vico. A walk along the shore of the crater, a quarter of an hour away.

15:15 · The Sacro Bosco of Bomarzo. About 32 km across the Cimini. The ogre, the giants, the elephant and the tilted house. €15; ages 4 to 13, €9.

17:00 · Return. By the A1 from Orte or Attigliano.

Time1 h 30
The Farnese palace of Caprarola, with its pentagonal plan above the villageLivioandronico2013 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Change the route

With young children, if it rains or if you fancy something else: another stop that fits the same day.

Blocks of trachyte among the beeches of the ancient forest of Monte Cimino
In autumn, swap the lake for the Monte Cimino beech wood, a World Heritage Site, on the way to Bomarzo: The beech forest of Monte Cimino, a World Heritage siteWalk · 1 h 30 · Free · Ancient beech forest on the summit of Monte Cimino, above Soriano nel Cimino, part of the UNESCO primeval beech forests of Europe
The restaurant's stone building, with its long porch facing the lawn
With children: eat inside the Sacro Bosco and do the palace in the afternoon, from March to October: La Locanda del MostroThe restaurant inside the Sacro Bosco of Bomarzo: lunch with the park ticket, and pizza also to take away on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Where to eat

Where to eat?

Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.

A dish from the cooking of the Trattoria del Cimino© Trattoria del Cimino

Trattoria del Cimino

Restaurant · Caprarola · €€€€

What to order: a home-made pasta with produce from the Cimini and Caprarola's hazelnut tart

The restaurant's stone building, with its long porch facing the lawn© Sacro Bosco – Parco dei Mostri

La Locanda del Mostro

Restaurant · Bomarzo · €€€€

What to order: a simple meal halfway through the visit, or pizza on Friday or Saturday night

Map

The stops, in order

With where to park at each one.

What to do Eat 88 €Stay Services

Getting there

By car or without one?

By car

It is the only practical way: buses do not link the two places in a day.

When to go

When to go to Caprarola and Bomarzo

All year, Tuesday to Sunday: the palace and the trattoria are closed on Mondays. In winter the palace park closes at 16:00 and the Sacro Bosco at 17:00, with last admission an hour earlier: do not linger at the lake.

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Best timeGood timeLow season

Tips

Worth knowing first

  1. 1
    Not on a Monday

    The palace and the trattoria are closed.

  2. 2
    In winter, adjust the afternoon

    The last admission to the Sacro Bosco is at 16:00 from November to February.

If it rains

The palace can be seen just the same; the Sacro Bosco is slippery in the rain: wear shoes with grip.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can you see both in one day?

Yes, by car: they are about 30 km apart.

How much do the tickets cost?

Palazzo Farnese, €10; Sacro Bosco, €15, and €9 for ages 4 to 13.

Where do you eat?

At the Trattoria del Cimino, in Caprarola, or inside the Sacro Bosco.

Can dogs go?

They are not allowed into the Sacro Bosco: there are free kennels at the entrance.

More plans like this

Other days of walking and good food

The Pisquerra landform, in the Bardena Blanca
The Bardenas by 4x4 and lunch in TudelaGuided 4x4 3 h + Ribera vegetables €€€
A green TurisNat off-road vehicle fording a stream in the sierra
Cazorla: 4x4, olive oil and castleGuided 4x4 route · 4 h 30 + Tasting menu €€€€
The Bomfim 1896 dining room, with picture windows towards the quinta
Pinhão: Bomfim 1896 and a tastingTrain along the Douro + Douro cooking in a wood-fired oven €€€ + Tasting at the quinta
A museum room with a full-size chip stand and giant cones
Bruges with children: chips, a boat and swansFrietmuseum · €7 children + Boat 30 min · €9 children + Brasserie De Halve Maan €€

geocalia.com/en/italy/lazio/caprarola-bomarzo/itineraries/rome-caprarola-bomarzo-farnese-palace-monster-park
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.

10 h plan · €55–85 pp
From Rome · 1 h 15
See the plan

Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/lazio/caprarola-bomarzo/itineraries/rome-caprarola-bomarzo-farnese-palace-monster-park