forestiere

Forestiere refers to Baldassare Forestiere, an Italian immigrant to the United States who is best known for creating the Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, California.

He arrived in the early 20th century and settled in Fresno, where he began digging and shaping a subterranean residence and garden to escape the hot climate. Over several decades he carved a network of rooms, passages, courtyards, and irrigation channels beneath his property, forming an extensive underground complex.

The site includes living spaces, a dining area, and outdoor courtyards connected by tunnels and ventilation shafts. The rooms were designed to use natural ventilation and earth insulation to maintain cooler temperatures, with openings to the surface providing light and air. Plants and trees were cultivated inside the underground gardens, creating a unique microclimate.

After Forestiere's death, the property changed hands and was later opened to the public as a historic site and tourist attraction. Today the Forestiere Underground Gardens are preserved as a cultural landmark and are managed by a nonprofit organization that offers guided tours to visitors, highlighting immigrant craftsmanship and California landscape architecture.