Forestiere Underground Gardens

In Fresno, California, Baldassare Forestiere spent about 40 years transforming difficult land into an extensive underground home and garden. A Sicilian immigrant who had hoped to grow citrus, he responded to hardpan soil and intense heat by digging by hand with simple tools and mules, eventually creating 65 rooms on three levels across 10 acres. The complex included living quarters, courtyards, skylights, passages, and planted chambers designed to cool the space, manage water, and protect fruit trees and vines. Still functioning as a garden, it endures as a striking work of vernacular architecture shaped by persistence and the environmental challenges of the San Joaquin Valley.

Fresno, California · United States