Skylights, Grottos, and Fruit Trees Flourish Underground in This Fresno Garden

Forestiere Underground Gardens

In Fresno, California, an Italian immigrant spent 40 years hand-carving a massive underground home to escape the brutal heat.

Baldassare Forestiere dug out bedrooms, a kitchen, and even a fishing pond beneath the surface from 1906 to 1946.

He planted fruit trees and grapevines that still grow underground today, their roots reaching up toward skylights in the Mediterranean-inspired tunnels.

Here’s more about this beautiful wonder.

One Tree Once Grew Seven Different Citrus Fruits

The most famous tree once produced seven different varieties of fruit simultaneously through Forestiere’s expert grafting techniques.

Some trees combine sweet oranges, sour oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons, and kumquats all on a single trunk.

Forestiere strategically positioned these trees under skylights for perfect sunlight exposure. They can grow as deep as 22 feet.

Rare Fruits Like Arbutus Trees and Jujubes Still Grow After 100+ Years

Forestiere’s gardens contain kumquats, loquats, jujubes, quince, carob, and dates alongside persimmons, figs, almonds, pomegranates, and berries.

You’ll find Mediterranean arbutus trees with strawberry-like fruits, including specific varieties like Italian pear and Bartlett pear at different depths.

The carob trees produce pods with a chocolate-like flavor that you can sample during tours or try the the gift shop for a souvenir item.

Plants Bloom in Succession Year-Round

Forestiere planted seeds at different depths and light exposures, creating a system where over 40 different species would bloom and fruit in succession.

His deciduous fruit trees provide shade for other plants during summer while allowing maximum winter light when their leaves fall.

Forestiere built specialized stone planters at various heights, each with specific drainage characteristics matched to the plants they contain.

A Barter System That Fascilitated Excavations

Forestiere offered fruits and vegetables to visitors in exchange for helping transport wheelbarrow loads of dirt to the surface.

Over four decades, Forestiere removed thousands of cubic yards of earth using only basic hand tools and mule-drawn scrapers.

Despite being illiterate with no formal training, Forestiere managed to creat a system of catch basins to collect and use rainwater.

He even recycled the hardpan material into bricks for constructing archways and supports throughout the complex.

Temperatures Vary Up to 30 Degrees Cooler Underground

Forestiere built his complex at three distinct levels (10 feet, 20 feet, and 23 feet deep) with conical skylights that push out the hot air.

As a result, the underground rooms stay 10-30 degrees cooler than surface temperatures since he engineered the entire complex to manipulate airflow.

This clever design allowed him to grow plants that otherwise couldn’t survive Fresno’s harsh climate and created comfortable living spaces year-round.

Winter and Summer Bedrooms Feature Different Designs

Forestiere didn’t need modern amenities. He built a summer bedroom with a bay window design to maximize air circulation during hot weather.

His winter bedroom has a specially designed fireplace with heat-retaining stone walls, positioned to maximize sunlight during shorter winter days.

Forestiere decorated his summer bedroom walls with his own artwork of Mediterranean scenes reminding him of Sicily.

Both bedrooms have built-in alcoves specifically sized for his bed and personal belongings, carved directly into the walls to save space.

Forestiere Watched Fish From His Living Room Below

The underground complex houses a unique fish pond with a glass bottom and a wooden footbridge connecting the kitchen and bedroom.

While relaxing in his sitting room (the deepest part of the complex), he could look up and watch tropical fish swimming overhead.

Forestiere designed a water circulation system that kept the aquarium fresh without modern pumping technology.

He even created a special lighting setup that cast shimmering water patterns through the glass into the room below.

A Tunnel Winds Through the Garden Complex

The 800-foot automobile tunnel included multiple ventilation points to release exhaust fumes and ensure clean air circulation.

Featuring a Roman-style arched support built entirely from excavated hardpan material, the widened turnouts help vehicles navigate safely.

Forestiere also added drainage channels along the floor and the tunnel entrances have gradual slopes rather than steep inclines.

Religious Patterns of Threes and Sevens Appear

Forestiere’s Catholic faith shaped his garden design, following patterns of threes and sevens, representing the Holy Trinity and Seven Sacraments.

Trinity planters with three distinct sections contain citrus trees grafted with three different varieties symbolizing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Biblical plants like olive trees and grapevines appear throughout the garden in arrangements reflecting scriptural significance.

You’ll find a private underground chapel with an altar highlighted by stone carvings with subtle cross motifs integrated into the architectural design.

Author T.C. Boyle Wrote About This Place

Forestiere’s remarkable life and creation inspired T. Coraghessan Boyle’s short story ‘The Underground Gardens,’ published in The New Yorker in May 1998.

This story later appeared in Boyle’s collection ‘After the Plague’ and won him an O. Henry Award in 1999. Literary critics note this story is a departure from Boyle’s typically cynical tone to an optimistic portrayal of immigrant perseverance.

Though fictionalized, the physical details of the underground gardens closely match the actual site, showing Boyle’s thorough research before writing his story.

Tour 65 Rooms From March Through October

Forestiere built this massive project without blueprints, often working under a lantern for up to 10 hours after finishing his day job.

He continued expanding and improving the gardens until just before his death from pneumonia at age 67 in 1946.

Visit from mid-March through October, with tours running from 9 AM to 3 PM.

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