On the border between Lazio and Tuscany there is a very peculiar artistic park called: The Tarot Garden.
This garden was opened to the public in 1998 and is located on the Garavicchio hill and covers an area of 2 hectares.
The construction of this park took many years from 1978 to 1998 (the year of opening) and was very expensive. In these 20 years, the artist together with her husband, built around 20 giant statues that represent the arcana of the tarot.
The versions of the tarot used were the Marseilles tarot and the Rider Waite one created in England.
The artist of this marvelous artistic park was the French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle, who together with her husband traveled to Spain and visited Park Güell. From there and from the Bomarzo park they drew inspiration for this park full of figures. Some sculptures are twelve to fifteen meters high and represent figures from tarot decks. Years later these works were covered with mirror mosaics, Murano glass and ceramics.
The tarot garden is mostly seen as the astral autobiography of the artist herself, together with her thoughts, ideas and dreams. Some works have been made by other artists such as Pierre Marie Lejeune who made some ceramic works, Alan Davie who painted some of the frescoes and the architect Mario Botta who made the wonderful entrance to the park.
In this immense park there are not only giant and astral sculptures but there is also a predilection for water games, waterfalls and caves. The symbol of water in this garden was fundamental for Saint Phalle since her garden had to belong to nature in combination with fantasy.
Considering the years it took to build this place, the artist had to live a long time in the park and chose one of the most beautiful pieces of her to make it her home. She chose to live inside of The Empress which is a gigantic statue that has a room, a living room and a kitchen inside. This statue also represents the concept of motherhood, conception and gestation.
This is undoubtedly such a peculiar garden that no one should miss if passing through Rome. If you want to visit it, do not hesitate to contact us and we will organize a day trip from Rome where you will enjoy this and much more.
