Lurking in the heart of California is a subterranean wonder that took one man 40 years to create by hand.
The Forestiere Underground Gardens were tunneled out in the early 1900s by Sicilian immigrant and citrus farmer Baldassare Forestiere.
He spent decades creating rooms, courtyards and planting beds up to 20 feet below the surface with just a pick, a shovel and a wheelbarrow.
By the time he was 44 years old, he had excavated and planted more than 10 acres.
The Forestiere Underground Gardens were tunneled out in the early 1900s by Sicilian immigrant and citrus farmer Baldassare Forestiere
He spent decades creating rooms, courtyards and planting beds up to 20 feet underground with just a pick, a shovel and a wheelbarrow
By the time he was 44 years old, he had excavated and planted more than 10 acres
According to the attraction’s website, Baldassare – who moved to America in 1901 – was inspired by the ancient catacombs he ‘admired as a boy,’ near his home town of Filari, Sicily
When he moved to Fresno he found it was impossible to grow citrus tress in the hard sedimentary rock, so he resorted to digging down instead
According to the attraction’s website, Baldassare – who moved to America in 1901 – was inspired by the ancient catacombs he ‘admired as a boy,’ near his home town of Filari, Sicily.
When he moved to Fresno he found it was impossible to grow citrus tress in the hard sedimentary rock, so he resorted to digging down instead.
In 1923 the farmer told a newspaper reporter that he needed to ban visitors because he was socializing too much instead of dedicating his time to working on the gardens.
Word spread about the masterpiece he was creating and visitors started descending on the site.
Baldassare would happily show people around and share his visions with them, but he started to realize the constant influx of visitors was hampering his progress.
Thanks to his hard work, he was able to plant multiple varieties of fruit-bearing trees including kumquat, carob, quince, and dates along with vines.
The fruits could easily be harvested from the surface of the gardens by simply bending down.
Some of the rooms in his underground complex include two bedrooms, a small chapel, a kitchen area with a freestanding stove, and a bathing area with a freestanding tub.
There is also a living room three levels down with a glass ceiling that looks into a pond above, which Baldassare installed so that he could admire his fish from below.
He even went about constructing a large tunnel so that guests could drive right into the gardens in their cars and vents in the tunnel allowed for any exhaust fumes to escape.
In 1923 the farmer told a newspaper reporter that he needed to ban visitors because he was socializing too much instead of dedicating his time to working on the gardens
Today the the Forestiere Underground Gardens remains a family-run operation. It is open to the public, with guided tours coming in at $23 per ticket
Thanks to his hard work, he was able to plant multiple varieties of fruit-bearing trees including kumquat, carob, quince, and dates along with vines
Some of the rooms in his underground complex include a bedroom nook carved into the wall, a kitchen area with a freestanding stove and a bathing area with a freestanding tub
In a bid to create the caverns he had to chip through three to five feet of sedimentary rock
The fruits could easily be harvested from the surface of the gardens by simply bending down
The attraction has a 4.5 ‘excellent’ rating on Tripadvisor, with many travelers deeming it a ‘hidden gem’
In a YouTube video detailing the gardens’ history, one of the guides who started working there from the age of 16 fills viewers in.
She starts off by explaining that Baldassare ‘just wanted to get out of the Fresno heat’ and ‘he understood that it was cooler underground with the cellars back in Sicily.’
In a bid to create the caverns, he had to chip through three to five feet of sedimentary rock.
The narrator continues: ‘[It was] not an easy task he had a lot of negativity from people who didn’t understand what he was doing.
‘Nothing like this had ever been done before probably in the entire United States. [There were] no blueprints. He’d think it, he’d do it.
‘Baldassare was a big dreamer. Keep going no matter what others say, if you gotta dream, you gotta go for it.
‘California was his new home and he was going to have a legacy here, a big one.’
Today the the Forestiere Underground Gardens remains a family-run operation.
It is open to the public, with guided tours coming in at $23 per ticket.
The attraction has a 4.5 ‘excellent’ rating on Tripadvisor, with many travelers deeming it a ‘hidden gem.’
One visitor said in their review: ‘Have never seen anything like this creative endeavor. It is a must-see. Whoever would have thought to dig down, through feet and feet and feet of hardpan to create a hospitable growing environment? Baldassare Forestiere that’s who.
‘The architecture is beautiful in it’s rustic simplicity – though it is obvious that the process was anything but simple… Be prepared for uneven, but walkable “floors.”‘
Another traveler wrote after their visit: ‘Great place to visit. The man who built this place was truly determined to create a unique place after buying what others thought was useless ground.
‘Thankfully, they have saved his life’s work for future generations to enjoy.’
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