We weren't sure what to expect but we thought it sounded cool and all the reviews said it was worth the time to visit. And boy, were they right. We were blown away by all the details that went into designing this place or as our tour guide would say #mindblown.
Upon arrival it didn't look like too much, but there were already a line of people forming at the gate. As we entered the garden - not your typical garden full of flowers and such, there was a pomegranate tree, several citrus trees, grape vines and a few flowers but it was mainly composed of fruit bearing trees of all sizes. We were directed down a ramp, underground, to the office and gift shop area. We were able to sign up for the first tour, within a few minutes they were ready to start.
The tour began in the ballroom with a brief history of the garden and the man who built them. Baldassare Forestiere, a Sicilian man, with a dream of coming to America to be a citrus farmer is the one responsible for excavating and designing these gardens. In 1901 Baldassare came to America, arriving in Boston he started working as a subway digger and after spending some time there he made his way to Orange County, CA and eventually to Fresno, CA where he purchased 80 acres of land to fulfil his dream of growing citrus, in the winter of 1905. The following spring he set out to plant his citrus crop. While digging he discovered what the locals call hardpan aka rock. To his disappointment it was everywhere, ranging from 2-5 feet deep. Since it appeared he was not going to get his citrus crop, Baldassare got a job as a ditch digger.
When the heat of summer came that year Baldassare trying to stay cool, had the idea to dig out a place underground as he knew it would be several degrees cooler down there due to all his time spent digging subway tunnels. After working as a ditch digger all day, he came home and began digging in his yard to find some relief from the sweltering heat. Average summer temperature can easily reach 110 degrees. Once he completed a room for himself, he thought he should build an underground resort, so that others could get out of the heat. And thus the vision for a subterranean complex of patios, grottos, and garden courts was born.
For the next 15 years he spent his spare time digging using only hand tools: a pick axe, shovel and a wheel barrow to excavate this resort. He used the hardpan as "bricks" and mortar to build walls and used scrap metal to help support it all. At that time the local paper published an article on this "crazy man" and what he was doing. By that point he had already managed to dig out around 50 rooms on about 10 acres of his property.
Baldassare built himself a house which was pretty nice considering it was all underground. It was complete with a kitchen and woodburning stove, a dining room, a summer and winter bedroom, doors and windows, and a patio with a fish pond. Elsewhere there was an aquarium, a well, a chapel, and several garden areas. He made all sizes of planters with all kinds of citrus trees, a few of these he had grafted together to get one tree producing multiple fruits at the same time. There was also a date, carob, and loquat tree. Most of the trees he planted back then are still growing and producing fruit. Which puts a few of them at just over 100 years old. There were several oranges, lemons, and grape fruits on several of the trees we saw and you could see the small bunches of little green grapes starting to form. There were lots of archways and skylights. Plenty of light, it was a little dim in some of the tunnels connecting the different rooms, but for the most part it was as bright as if you were standing outside. Baldassare thought of just about everything, he was even working on a driveway so people could drive their cars down to the ballroom for parties and dances. It was 3 levels, the third being 22 feet below the surface. on the third level it was about 15 degrees cooler, I imagine it must have felt nice on those hot summer days.
We were definitely amazed and enjoyed the tour. It's a neat place to see if your ever in Fresno. It truly goes to show what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it. The gardens are still owned and operated by the third generation of the Forestiere Family. There are a few pictures below, they are not the best as Jacob didn't take in his camera, so we just snapped a few with our phones.
Next Stop: Costco ;-)
-Sarah
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