The Labirinto della Masone

The Labirinto della Masone, a cultural park, is home to the world’s largest bamboo labyrinth. It’s the brainchild of Franco Maria Ricci, a publisher, art collector, and bibliophile with an interest in bamboo.

The cultural park is home to about 20 different species of bamboo, ranging from dwarf to giant. The labyrinth is a living demonstration of the plant’s immense potential. Even the parquet floors of the park’s buildings were made of the same material.

The labyrinth takes the shape of an eight-pointed star, a nod to star-shaped fortress cities. Because you can’t quite appreciate the scope of the labyrinth while you’re wandering through it, there’s a model at the site that lets you appreciate the structure in all its scaled-down glory.

The whole complex covers about 17 acres. There’s a building that houses Ricci’s art collection, about 500 works ranging from the 16th to the 20th century. There’s also a library dedicated to the most illustrious examples of typography and graphics. In the middle of the maze, there is a square surrounded by arcades and large halls. Overlooking the square, a pyramid-shaped chapel recalls the labyrinth as a symbol of faith.