5/20/25
Traveling is so magical. I have met so many wonderful people on this California rail adventure, and seen so many beautiful places. One of the most remarkable was the Forestiere Underground Gardens! I visited there with my new friend Jerri, whom I met via a previous travel friend/host, Janeece, who is based in the LA area but is visiting Croatia at the moment. I enjoyed connecting with Jerri and some of her family members, who came along with us.
I can’t remember all the details about the gardens, but I encourage you to click on the link above and learn more about this amazing place. In a nutshell, a Sicilian American man, Baldassare Forestiere, moved to Fresno in the early 20th century with a dream of planting a citrus grove, like the ones his family had back in Italy. Sadly, he found the soil on his new acreage not very hospitable for citrus growing, and he also found the summer heat (often 115 F/46 C) and chilly, damp winter weather nearly unbearable. Having spent his life savings of $80 for the acreage, though, he was forced to remain in that location.
So, he undertook a staggering project: building an underground house for himself—ultimately up to 63 rooms, on multiple levels—entirely by hand, with the significant help of two mules, Molly and Dolly. Together, over a number of years they excavated all the earth, and he slowly built a beautiful home, with skylights and Roman arches throughout. (He had had only a fourth-grade education, and no formal architectural or construction training. But he did all the design and masonry himself.)
He planted citrus and other trees inside, and eventually had a full home, with a kitchen, a summer bedroom, a winter bedroom, a chapel, and even two fish ponds, one with a skylight above and a glass bottom, and a viewing room underneath(!) for his guests to enjoy.
He never married. He lived in the house until his death from a hernia at age 67 in 1946. His younger brother and the brother’s adult children helped to keep the house intact, and eventually to seek historic-landmark status for it.
These are some of the photos I took. If you find yourself in Fresno, definitely make sure to visit!
Note: You may notice that my photos are becoming a bit blurry these days. Sadly, my ancient iPhone 8 camera seems to be nearing its end. I am looking to manifest a new phone with a better camera (iPhone 13 or newer) for as little cost as possible. If you happen to know of anyone with such a camera sitting around collecting dust, please feel free to put us in touch!
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