Land was barren. He dug 10-acre underground village & orchard

During the California heat wave of 1906, Baldassare Forestiere dug a home underground with just a pickax and shovel. He spent 40 years excavating 10 acres of rooms, tunnels, a chapel, an underground aquarium, and courtyards to experiment with underground farming.
With no budget, he mixed mortar from the dirt he dug out, creating his own concrete and bricks. Despite continuing to work as a day laborer during the day (mostly digging irrigation ditches), by the 1920s, he had completed about 50 subterranean rooms.
A Sicilian immigrant to Fresno, California, Forestiere had planned to farm citrus until discovering that his 80 acres of “hardpan” soil were unusable for planting. Digging as far as 20 feet below the surface, Forestiere reached depths where the soil was good, and his trees were protected from Fresno’s extreme summer heat and winter frosts. After about 20 years of digging and underground farming, he could quit his day job and live off the fruits of his subterranean orchards.
Despite having just a fourth-grade education and no architectural training, Forestiere - inspired by the catacombs of Rome - built arches for support, and to this day, none of his underground construction has collapsed. In areas where he wanted more natural cooling (like near stoves), he created cone-shaped openings to encourage the venturi effect, pushing the hot air out and sucking the cooler air down.
His underground home had a kitchen with a wood-burning stove, an ice box and a dining room, winter and summer bedrooms, many skylights, a subterranean fish pond, a car garage for guests, and a three-floor aquarium with an underground glass viewing area. He had plans to open an underground resort to the public as a place to cool off in the summer, but he died before it was completed. His brother and family took over the site, and today it’s open to the public.
Forestiere Underground Gardens: undergroundgardens.com/
On *faircompanies: faircompanies.com/videos/land...

[@danrayson]

I think it's sad that no one is allowed to make things like this any more without "planning permissions" and "regulatory scrutiny".

[@ban80]

People that love these sorts of things also vote for the politicians that make it illegal to build these sorts of things.

[@dallasswoveland4466]

​@@ban80Both sides uphold that way of running things. Half the country isn't the enemy, a culture of trading liberty for false security is the enemy. Left and right both do it, just in different ways.

[@ban80]

@@dallasswoveland4466 you are not wrong, the left seems to be far worse at it right now. It's probably to far gone at this point to save.

[@oregonsenior4204]

I think you *could*, though, depending on where you dug and what you'd settle for. Middle of a city? No. Out in the country? Who's going to ask you why you're digging a cave on your own land? Now, you might not have wired Internet or even electricity, but not everyone needs that 100% of the time.

[@easein]

Amen. Even trying to build the way 'they' want is becoming exorbitantly expensive. My dream is an adobe house similar to the 100s in our state that were built 100s of years ago and still standing. State won't allow it.

[@enmodo]

The greatest thing - that his family managed to keep a hold of most of the property for long enough that the city didn't just bulldoze it and bury it under another parking lot. Thank goodness for the preservation efforts that keep it open to visit to this day. It reminded me of the underground homes and mines in Coober Pedy in Australia

[@ItStartsWithL]

Yes, this is what it reminded me of! 💜

[@theflamingone8729]

The clay at Coober Pedy looks nicer than that hard pan, plus the possibility of finding opals 👍

[@shagwellington]

I wish the whole 20 acres had been preserved. I bet there were some pretty interesting rooms acres away from this 4 acre plot now.

[@man-observing-world]

Same here, I’d love the chance to see both.

[@nanaman]

“They pave paradise and put up a parking lot.” 👍

[@suburbanbiology]

I dug one hole for a water tank with a tractor and I felt accomplished. This guy is next level! Great job honoring his work!!

[@wirelesmike73]

What a beautiful way to live. It's almost criminal that this didn't become more common through the years. The amount of work that one man did is staggering. It's such a beautiful place. I would totally live that way.💙

[@markmasi5219]

I was here as a child 60 years ago, and it has haunted my imagination ever since. What a remarkable man, what an amazing accomplishment.

[@sanysas]

Was it scary like Moria to you? I imagine it more like a Hobbithouse when Balthazare lived there with his guests

[@EnergiA854]

this cannot be 10 acres village!

[@safuwanfauzi5014]

If 1 man with poor equipment can created amazing architecture, i believe with 100k people, we will create more amazing than 'Great Pyramid of Giza', it need dedication.

[@CraftySasquatch]

@@EnergiA854 The entire property is 10 acres but the house portion is not a full 10 acres but does snake around the 10 acres. 50 subterranean rooms! You need 10 acres. Google it! Knowledge works best when you go look for it.

[@jimbayler4277]

I lived there also, between '63 and '72. Off of Bullard and Blackstone. Never got there though. It was always fascinating to us, but Mom and Dad never took us. I remember the 100+ deg. summer days. We had the only true A/C in the neighborhood. Everybody else had those old, rooftop "swamp coolers". Our house was always a good ten degrees cooler than everyone else. Kinda made our house the popular place to be in the summer.

[@mdj2742]

I bet this place was gorgeous in its prime. This man was using “old world” knowledge and teachings to create this. The fact that it’s preserved is amazing. The guide is exceptional. Her enthusiasm and reverence for what’s been created is evident throughout this video. Thank you for creating this video.

[@CuriousCat-eu8zz]

Exactly. "old world". Dug out what already existed.

[@jessicastevens538]

It's literally in it's prime right now. Back then it was barely a settled dirthole with nothing around it.

[@mfcobb1]

😅

[@crysajb-iq1hd]

Almost big enough for a plane. Complete passages.

[@kathleenlandolt5936]

@@mfcobb1 😁 I love your KZbin name!

[@grantwilliams8164]

I have dug six foot trenches. By hand. This is an insane amount of labor, and he did it when he was working on someone else’s farm to start. The endurance he had is super human

[@alainvosselman9960]

I worked in archeology as a digger. There's a trick involved in shoveling clay. It involves using the knee closest to the handle...lift your heel and leaning in with your weight. It takes a lot of practice but it makes heavy duty digging a lot easier.... like half. My boss taught me this neat trick.

[@user-mf8ef2rh9n]

❤ The underground building he done its awesome plus fruit trees its amazing

[@SB-uw1cr]

Or was it already here and they've concocted a story about an Italian immigrant doing this?

[@HladniSjeverniVjetar]

@@SB-uw1cr Yea.. it's aliens....for real...some people will make everything into something nuts.

[@williampatrickfurey]

​​@@alainvosselman9960 I wonder why not just use the knee as a fulcrum, why lift the heel? I've done a decent amount of shoveling stone debris/dirt.

[@terireed3740]

What an incredible guy. That courtyard and the way he incorporated it into his home just blows me away. Could you imagine buying a house today and finding one of his rooms under your property? That would be wild.

[@B_Van_Glorious]

I'd venture in most places county would make you fill it in with concrete. Building code, ESPECIALLY if it involves ancient building tech; ie yurts, rammed earth, cob, etc, has to get drug kicking and screaming into factuality. It feels like the bureaucrats have bought in completely to that false notion of modernity; that history is over, everything's been figured out, the current ways are the best ways - STOP ASKING QUESTIONS - that is at the core of late stage capitalism.

[@Jemawin]

The sheer physical labor this took is mind boggling.

[@itsadoggydogworld8974]

Hard to believe one man did this by hand . I don’t believe it. Beautiful regardless

[@joepontiac4868]

hard to swallow a ditch digger coming home to dig. its like the pyramid stones were carved n not just cement. i bet he had a machine n it was his day business to use it. he had money to buy this land. why not a machine to make business.

[@stemster972]

He must have Irish genetics to dig holes like that

[@amandasanders7373]

Kinda like the coral castle

[@DespaceMan]

@@itsadoggydogworld8974 She did say people in the community at times help move the dirt & rocks probably even help dig also his brother family most likely help to.

[@kirstendirksen]

Since so many people have asked about what happens when it rains, here is Shera's response: "Baldassare actually put drainage systems in place! Many of the rooms are built on a grade and sump pits are placed in strategic areas throughout the Underground Gardens where the water is directed to collect and reuse. While it does get muddy underground, we do not deal with any serious flooding."

[@user-bx5cu1mu6l]

The tour guide is so excited in explaining the place or the man's project,that she gets you involved.

[@digiryde]

Thank you for covering this. This has always been one of my favorite "underground" homes. I used to live not to far from there and the weather can get unbelievably hot. What he did is a master plan in how to use what you have to make a better world. If only we could apply the same kind of thinking to modern construction.

[@jedimindtrixr4kidz294]

Stuff like this is why I'm glad I found your channel. soooOOooo coool haha

[@bettypergerson1070]

what does he do about snakes? i would think this would b a problem

[@sprky777]

@@bettypergerson1070 dinner

[@badgerfern6469]

I’m glad this place is getting the respect it deserves

[@TheTexasTakebyMissVikie]

Too bad he Never had a family to stay with him and help him.😢

[@SilentKnight43]

The tour guide's narration was just great! She obviously has a great passion for the place and certain knows every aspect of the history. I'd love to see this place sometime.

[@rmbc1971]

Yes, agreed. She's fabulous

[@debbiefox6846]

I'd love to as well. We have gone past this many times most likely & had no idea this was here. How magnificent. My sister & I used to dig underground forts when we were 7 & 8. We would have thought this was amazing. Our poor mom used to worry the ground was going to collapse because it wasn't hard clay like this. We wanted to dig tunnels all over the yard but our parents were too worried we'd get hurt. This man was so talented. I know many people live underground in Australia in the Opal mining towns. We live about 4.5 hrs from here. I think this is a highly underrated way to live. The natural light is amazing.This man had such perseverance! So happy his family was able to finish this dream for him. It reminds me very much of a Cenote minus the large amounts of water. The light has that same ethereal vibe. It's so amazing. 😊💕.

[@B_Van_Glorious]

Besides not understanding the venturi effect, lol. It doesn't bring air down, the concentration at the opening speeds up the air and creates a vacuum behind it. It PULLS the air in the room out so air will be pulled in from adjacent rooms. It would create air movement thru out the entire complex.

[@antewaso8876]

I agree she is wonderful, she is drawing on the original inspiration of this unique man and shares it in a lovely welcoming way... which. does this amazing creation justice thank you

[@plantfeeder6677]

As a native of Fresno we all went to the underground gardens as school kids. It was one of the best field trips we got to take. I am grateful that a yt creator with your following found the interest to visit here. There is nothing like it on this grand of a scale anywhere. Also Citrus Trees are a large part of our farming here in the great central valley, but to hear that those trees are over 100 years old has my jaw on the floor. That is unheard of today.

[@robertschmidt9296]

I used to live near a field orange trees in Fresno county that were 100 years old. They got some kind of root disease and were pulled out.

[@batman4329]

Same

[@kevinocullinane5770]

Coober Pedy Australia is an underground town dug into the Opal Fields. Very nice project.

[@kristenkrueger5527]

@@robertschmidt9296 that is so sad.. I lived in Eastern Washington State. We grew a lot of cherry, apple orchards and so many where pulled up for urban sprawl .. some of those trees grew the best fruits .. unlike western wash . Eastern wash is desert and gets up in the 100 f on a regular basis in the summer months .. now they grow wine grapes .. I’m 61 and I get nostalgic thinking of the old days🫶❤️‍🩹

[@valkyrie1066]

I LOVE it! Never seen anything like it before, but after spending 10 years in CA, I like some of the ideas people are coming up with to grow in areas that are too hard or dry. We found buried Ollas to be very handy on a small scale. This is genius!

[@karennoble3795]

Fresno native here. This is the best video I’ve ever seen on the Foresteiere gardens. I’ve visited many times taking out of town visitors, but I learned so much from this video. This woman is a great guide. Fun fact …In the 1970s, as a teenager, I attended Halloween dances with live bands in the underground big ballroom. So much fun & great memories.

[@DizzKola3]

That sounds so amazing! I would have LOVED to attend one of those. It had to have been so so fun, especially during Halloween!

[@glass1258]

That is so cool

[@KY_CPA]

They still have special events in the ballroom. Last summer they had a 20s theme party down there shortly before we visited

[@Bellathebear777]

WOW.......That's beautiful....

[@LTBRAD06]

Amazing it's such an accessible spot . Does this spot ever get damaged during earthquakes? Obviously it's held up super well just amazing

[@MrsBridgette2012]

I went to Fresno to visit my brother who lives within five miles of the place. He had never been to the underground gardens. I had read about it online. So we went together and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@LS-kg6my]

I grew up in the Bay Area and had now idea this was around. MIND BLOWN. It hurts me that they sold the lots and built industrialized housing over his genius. He was an artist

[@Dopeornope222]

This gentleman’s life would make an excellent movie… Growing up in Sicily, spending time in Rome and moving to Fresno to farm citrus. Yet, instead he created his own masterpiece. All the while, working exceptionally hard, encountering unexpected difficulties. However, through trial & error and determination, he ultimately persevered and built a wonderful home under the surface of the earth…

[@leashaayn7306]

💯

[@Penfold497]

You’re right of course. But the literal demons who run Hollywood would never permit it.

[@aprilm9551]

You are so right!

[@dustinbossmusic]

You have to get to work, I expect you to at least direct the film.

[@_papad8434]

Yes, I think this story would make a great movie!

[@sandranelson3327]

My grandparents lived in Kerman, CA. They had acres of vineyards. I remember visiting this site when I was an early teenager. I am 80 now. I couldn’t believe how cool and comfortable his home was.

[@motomuso]

Happy Birthday Sandra! (whenever that may be 🙂)

[@shelleyThomas-dy6nl]

80 yrs old and you can still write type is awsome

[@Glacierlune]

@@shelleyThomas-dy6nl is this patronizing? Genuinely curious.

[@Bellathebear777]

What a beautiful place....🙏💖💪✌️🇺🇸💞

[@cpmvmaker1]

This man really created something that outlasted himself and is continuously being appreciated and cared for by generations. Just beautiful.

[@enoughisenough4600]

This woman is a fantastic guide. You can tell she is intrigued with this mans work.

[@darinbasile6754]

I love that place. Side note. When Foristierre first got to New York he worked in the construction of subway tunnels. So he got practical skills from that.

[@gigiwills7851]

And I strongly suspect he spent some of the posts fourth grade period helping out a mason in his home community. This is not a wheel one reinvents.

[@nirodper]

@@gigiwills7851 he didn't really need to work as a mason, and you can see that his firsts builds weren't as good as later ones, farmers and rural folk have a lot of knowledge in a lot of areas. I also feel in the video they really underestimate the intelligence of people 100 years ago. You need no formal education to do this, just decent parents and/or a good community that raises you, common sense, and a willingness and passion to do it

[@sfstucco]

@@nirodper - I agree 100% with your point (minimizing/underestimating practical knowledge of people 100 & more years ago. I also know these type of arched rooms are common in much of Italy (on the ground floor of houses). I can imagine the possibility that they made an indelible impression on him, and he might have also seen them built.

[@chezmoi42]

@@sfstucco Yes, the technique of building those incurved skylights reminded me of the dry stone domed 'trulli' in Apulia, on the SE coast of Italy.

[@rockjockchick]

@@nirodper for sure

[@catzcradle]

I have admired what this man did for many years and have spoken to various folks about it. No one had ever heard of him. Thank you for this great coverage! What a unique man!

[@kris6695]

This underground tunnel is nothing new and, if you do your research, all these tunnels look the same. No he just happened to find it and dug the dirt out. Way too many tunnels around the world that look exactly like this one.

[@wendyjomendy]

He left an impression on me as well. I seen him showing it on film before. He was old then but im glad he was found and willing to show us his unique built home! I'd love to do this too.

[@tarapayne4945]

@@kris6695exactly! What a cute narrative though 😂

[@kaos3383]

Wow. This should be a national treasure. One man's desire to adapt. You sir have inspired me.

[@legoqueen2445]

Here in Australia we have a whole mining town, Cooper Pedi, that is underground to escape the heat. I've never been there but have always wanted to visit. This is so inspiring. It says so much about his character and innovation ❤

[@letzigstudio]

Genius. What a romantic! What ambition! What tenacity! I can only imagine what this man's hands must've looked like throughout his life. Thank you for sharing his remarkable story.

[@dancarter482]

I read that in the voice of the king in _Conan_ .

[@norsk888]

What an amazing guy. It's an inspiring story. Hardpan is a dense layer of soil that is too hard to be broken up easily and it sheds moisture, so kudos to him for not giving up.

[@kittimcconnell2633]

And the hardbpan looks to be stable enough to have made his underground home safe to live in. Most places would have caved in long before now.

[@thepartyfairyllc7678]

This is amazing. I feel like you don’t have that many Italian historical sites in the US- I’m so glad it’s so well preserved with people that care for it

[@marisamartini1975]

Thank you for sharing. This place is a treasure. He built his own beautiful village. He is proof that intelligence does not need to be educated but does need the freedom to be able to create and explore.

[@sparkeyjones6261]

Oh wow, I toured this place about 20 years ago, and found it to be one of the most interesting historic tours I've ever seen. That guy was incredibly driven. What he accomplished was simply amazing.

[@pikayla5749]

Thank you for the fascinating journey. I never knew this existed. Are there other similar places you can recommend?

[@janet1744]

40 years of hand digging 20 acres of hardpan earth, that is amazing.

[@criminyworldriseedify8962]

The tenacity. Working in heat all day and digging that at home for 20 years? Amazing. These are the kind of resilient stories that I need.

[@sarahmanalapan8443]

He was also in his twentys when he was doing that.

[@Bellathebear777]

Beautiful ❤️

[@spudspuddy]

if you're still young and can get some cheap land it would totally be doable with the power tools we have today to help, wish i was 60 years younger i'm all inspired now

[@jdknight-mark633]

Contemplation? No time for that.

[@sharksport01]

Imagine being down there when the earthquake hits.

[@mikebr9764]

I was just there passing through from San Francisco to Yosemite to Los Angeles. My first trip to California in 30 years since my childhood, and decided to stop at this underground garden and I was blown away.

[@nottheone582]

Shera does a fantastic job as historian and tour guide- one of the best historic tours I've ever seen! She really spent time getting into the creator's mindset and imagination and it shows! Wonderful :_

[@3shellyiam]

This might actually be my favorite out of all the places you've shown over the years. I loved that he didn't get flattened by such a huge setback and they continued to dream big his whole life.

[@outingsforoldladieswhoaren7664]

I live in California, less than 180 miles away. I had no idea this existed. What a brilliant man. Definitely something I would love to see.

[@vincent7520]

Go there ! Obviously it(s open for visiting and California is a perfect place to innovate in architecture : there is a lot to learn from. In time of climate change we must take ideas from everywhere and then sort them depending of what we can do and what we need…

[@sarahthomson8183]

Me too! And I like your name..

[@ruralangwin]

Let's go!

[@cliftonmassey3143]

I've been twice! it's very interesting and definitely worth seeing. I wish they had more of it open.

[@themysticmuse]

Day trip!!

[@HealthyNugs]

I was on a tour through here around 2010, ever since, it has lived rent-free in my brain as an ideal way to live in the high desert. I love this place, the people, and the story. Truly inspirational!

[@debrap947]

Light years ahead of the norm! What an amazing, gifted man to create such a unique home and property that doesn't destroy the land but uses it and respects it.

[@jdknight-mark633]

He had no contemplation time…just anticipate and follow through with confidence. A rare trait!

[@johnpaddock5238]

Once again Kirsten brings us a story beyond belief. People doing some amazing things in the homes they live in! This is one of the best! Thank you Kirsten!!

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

My great grandfather came from the same town in Sicily , I don't know Why we as a society don't build like this , I did tunnels as a boy , but nothing this big . I am so Happy his work is being preserved .

[@wendysmith6563]

I wonder if there's a botanical society in this town that is preserving the trees planted by this amazing man. and vines especially. For the future? These plants are after all accustomed to this situation and there should be more places like this including public housing., where to give hope to those who are prepared to dig and to learn would change the world as we know it. Just a little bit of a start with an opportunity to buy a place of one's own just with some basic infrastructure in place. Digging wells one can find gases build up to toxic levels but l saw recently a video where a man built a lagoon in the desert., and that said it it still worth the trouble to have wells intermittently strewn across a large site even to find out what you got. About the subterranean geology of the area. Qld government in Australia is currently having some thousands of tiny or "small" , houses manufactured for public housing and although it us said to be an emergency measure and temporary l think we all know that it is the way of the future. Finding sites for extensive regional housing where there's no job opportunities is easy., and that's got to be the first priority l think and the sweetness of doing nothing is ofcourse not to indication that nothing gets done but only indicates that what one does hasn't any adverse effects on anyone else., or on society. The logistics of placing a number of tiny houses in shallow holes in the earth with the prospect of building up the ground level with a height limits and with freedom to experiment on one's own land *potentially with lease holding))comes with some problems with the use of modern materials like sticky plastics for e.g.., for this age where every drop of water must be accounted for and re'purposed and similarly the only machinery used should rechargeable hand held devices which should in the main be only used for a short time period with an alternative VILLAGE machinery shed located further afield that has wire walls and a roof water tap and electrical power supply. All heavy machine work., eg excavations and trench digging work being in place prior to habitation commencement and is a fair thing to say that every time a truck or bulldozer drives over the ground it becomes more compressed and every time a spade lifts earth the ground is loosened as such the deeper and more extensive the digging the greater impingement there is on the stability of the subterranean geology., and this as such means that alot if attention needs to be paid by the government in keeping all things equal., so that not by quick solutions and lack of attention to these details there is created a circumstance for one lease that the neighbour can not understand and which leads to the creation of more and more regulation and more regulatory bodies towit this leads to favours for friends and all sorts of special exemptions which ultimately result in citizens leaving their village for reasons of dissatisfied and those others seeking to make a profit on their property which has been favoured by the organisation, by selling it as the increase in favours for friends including trading favours makes what was homes for like minded citizens who want to work at being human into terrace houses for the rich and famous and there's nothing wrong with this and elderly retired citizens deserve opportunity to purchase a lease holding or any other home at whatever stage it has reached in its purposefully best created design too., but not at the expense of other people in the village. The thing about this man Mr Foresturreri and his hand and mule excavated home is the size of the land he began with and is like a miracle that he actually lived in a time when motorised personal transport *Ford model S and model T'ss were making their mark on the landscape and he considered the exhaust fumes and the effects on the plants and animals including himself and his brother and his family and with his best mule on a given day he made provisions to keep the area as free of toxic fumes as possible without making it impossible for the elderly or the disabled ♿ to visit this vineyard and orchid growing under the desert sun in the heart of his home made in the ground. It's like those houses built on the hillside in those places in Italy and Greece where time allowed the gradual expansion and with the addition of another house the streets and lanes became cooler and as is happens a bit darker from shadows and bit more moist and slippery so that woman had to scrub more often and the view ofcourse was an issue but if it is your son or daughter one didn't mind so much in losing a vision of the lower laying land or lake or sea. But this is about choosing from the millions of hectares of land where there are no dominating un-addressable weather conditions or forces of nature that can be utilized to give the United States citizens half a chance at securing a a peaceful and productive future for themselves and their offspring and as l said hope is life and the sweetness of doing nothing at home surely must make the streets a safer place across the escrow country.

[@geraldjuvejr.6171]

I 100% agree. This type of building should be commonplace instead of this 'one of a kind' place.

[@deviusfeilds]

Such a good idea. Build under - not up.

[@castellanskeep9564]

@@geraldjuvejr.6171 it's because of building codes and permitting.

[@marcd6897]

@@castellanskeep9564yeah because if it goes wrong, it will kill people, and the survivors will sue the living hell out of anyone who was engaged in building this.

[@DizzKola3]

This is absolutely amazing and so so beautiful. I can’t imagine the work that went into this over the 40 years! I would totally live here! I’m so glad that there are people who keep his legacy alive.

[@karenlynn374]

Me too!.. on both ideas

[@JodyOwen-we6oo]

I’ve been fortunate to do a lot of hiking in Tuscany. This dedication to improving your land arguably beyond the ‘rational’ thought of personal gain was evident there as it is here. And it’s as beautiful in that rustic way.

[@L6FT]

Yes certainly. I went from Bergamo (wow) along Cinque Terre coast (omg) to Sienna (:-O), and back over the Alps. Everywhere in Italy seems steeped in ancient history and they maintain it that way and keep building oldtime structures of stone. So very inspiring, and completely amazing.

[@yowwwwie]

I've often thought that people who live in areas where tornados are prevalent should consider underground homes.....Baldassare you are a creative force in this vast universe of time. Thank you Kirsten. יוי

[@MemeMan_MEMESQUAD]

Unfortunately the water table in those areas is also pretty high. There's a reason the people who traditionally inhabited those areas didn't have many permanent structures, and the ones they did have were round and low.

[@Thenoobestgirl]

​@@MemeMan_MEMESQUAD that would definitely pose an issue 🤔

[@sam12587]

There are homes like that. I know two families who have them. Both homes are very prone to water leaks in rain no matter how the owners try to fix it(mold then grows if not caught quick). Historically where water tables allow; basements were completely underground which is safest. Modern builders keep making basements that are 50-25% underground with the back of the basement opening to the back yard. This really sucks in a tornado. Also builders save money everywhere they can and that includes using metal straps on the wood that would help the structure withstand a twister.

[@yowwwwie]

@@sam12587 Hi, thank you for the insight on tornado areas. Did you know at one time the water table in the "great valley" of California, in the area near Fresno, Modesto, Bakersfield there was a large lake? They artificially drained the lake in the 1900s. Because of the heavy winter and spring we had, Lake Tulare has filled up and is threatening a small town because the dike failure. That means that the lake would have been active during the time Baldassare was working so the water table would have been high....i think. His way of "open air" living might be an answer, just like the 1st Americans. יוי

[@dclaet1135]

@@yowwwwie I read that the water from Tulare Lake, which was formed by the Great Flood in California in 1862, was dried up by the 1880's in the Fresno area. It would be interesting to know how high the water table was.

[@luciac.419]

My father (all my family really) is from Italy. My father only went to school up until 7th grade. He was a farm boy in a big family. They worked their farm & it always amazes me the ideas he has. His ingenuity. I think they did it from necessity. He is now 80 & still turns his little garden by hand. I tried to lend him my tiller (albeit a small one) but he does not want to use it. He is so old school it does drive me nuts sometimes. But this man Baldassare is amazing!! What true achievement 😍This is old school men. Work very hard even when they come home. I didn't appreciate it when i was younger but i really do now. I gotta show my father this vid. He is a proud Italian so he will probably say "see, thats an Italian man!" With pride in his voice... Thank you for making this video 🙏🏼

[@verucasalt9182]

They didn’t have an academic formation( indoctrination) but didn’t mean they were not intelligent. In my lifetime I have known farmers with hardly writing and reading skills but they were fountains of knowledge.

[@debshapiro6431]

He was raised a farmer and his goal was to grow oranges, build a home and enjoy life. He bought the land, found enough soil to root his trees, and really worked out some aggression on those rocks. Idon't think anything was going to get in his way! Fully invested!

[@willambthommo]

Amazing to see that Baldassare's being remembered beautifully ❤❤ As another has said I too have done lots of digging and his work IS superhuman, truly!

[@EmilyBltz]

The guide did a wonderful job! Imagine a quest for survival turns in to a work of art. This is stunning ❤

[@share2succeed157]

I visited this place over 40 yrs ago with my family, and I have never forgotten it. I often think of it as such a genius way to survive the heat. It saddens me that as much as he dreamed and prepared for having a family life underground, he never found a woman who was willing to live in the home he created, so he never married. He even had a chapel with a baptistery, hoping to christen his children down there. Thank you, Kristen, for posting this recording of your visit!

[@bjdefilippo447]

That IS sad. I'm surprised there wasn't a woman who could appreciate his vision.

[@chillinkrillin1378]

My theory is he was unfortunately infertile. I think it's reasonable to assume he had relations with his girlfriends. Sure there was a strong culture of no sex before marriage but in reality alot of people got married because of pregnancy.

[@rjkeenan8955]

The rock hard soil you speak of is "Calichi" also known as calcrete, dur-i-crust, dur-a-crust, and as it's known in your area as hardpan. Once you do the hard job of digging out Caliche you can make cement by adding water, and vinegar, or water and sulfer powder and make cement out of it. When you see a spot that looks like someone mixed rocks, stones into cement it's most likely Caliche cement with larger stones and rocks than normal.

[@mfr336]

This made me cry. I don't really know how to define what makes this so emotional, but something about the connection between humans and the divine. When I look at Michaelangelo's work, and the other greats, it touches me deeply, this feels the same. This almost feels like one of the wonders of the world!

[@nofurtherwest3474]

How does a plant grow 7 different fruits?

[@Carson530]

@@nofurtherwest3474grafting different trees together. One main trunk, 7 fruits.

[@theuglykwan]

He made a mistake not checking out the soil and decided to make lemonade out of lemons. The sheer determination in this guy is insane. The fact he didn't just stop with a couple of rooms but made it a whole complex! I get the feeling 5 of him could build a pyramid.

[@L6FT]

😀 I visited a community Damanhur in norther Italy. They've built a big underground temple with many rooms and pathways. This one man however overshines anything I've ever seen one man build.

[@Samiby]

Great to see how the host is really knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the history she teaches. I'm sure this video could have been 24 hours long with information. Great efforts on preserving this place.

[@reversefulfillment9189]

It's amazing what we can achieve without our modern distractions. This man was the GOAT of digging.

[@michaeloxlong5697]

It's nothing to do with modern distractions. If you tried doing that today you'd be stopped within a week and you'd have thousands of dollars in fines for not complying with a million different meaningless building codes. And even if you did do it by the book it would take you 10x longer, and you'd be bankrupt from paying for city/county inspectors.

[@solartime8983]

Yes💸'They 'system' needs x___$$ from every person & payments(taxes) on every square foot to 'feed the gov't debt' machine( I.e. Redistribution) , get off-grip asap...🌅🗽

[@garegardner6782]

hahaha, you reminded me of a movie where one of the characters had the superpower of Shoveling! He was definitely a superhero

[@Muljinn]

Mystery Men

[@redditor7548]

People used to play minecraft in real life in the old days

[@misterhat5823]

This lady is an awesome tour guide.

[@harlowjademermaid1882]

this girl is a phenomenal tour guide/hostess! She is a wealth of knowledge about this amazing man! Excellent vid - I feel as though I was actually on this really cool underground cavernous tour!

[@freidagreenfield6270]

That is exactly what I felt, She is an amazing tour guide. I truly felt that I was with her throughout the entire visit and was inspired by his dedication throughout his life ! Truly the Michaelangelo of Hardpan ❤️😇❤️ It saddened me that he died from a hernia at 67 years of age 😥 The government should dedicate it as a National Landmark Treasure never to be destroyed.untouched, dedicating it to Balthazar s dedication and life's work if they haven't already ❤️ Tours would more than cover the costs of preserving it 💯%

[@wildman6936]

That's insane, I'm trying to remove a little bit of rock from my place and this guy excavated 10 acres underground, totally mind-boggling, and with a pickaxe, incredible

[@christinealessandrini4280]

there is probably more to the story that is not told. i tried to dig in my yard several times for different purposes, it's a VERY HARD WORK; i'm def not buying this story as it is presented

[@LiLBitsDK]

@@christinealessandrini4280 remember people were used to hard work back then, not like the wimps that think they "work hard" while doing office tasks... most won't even cope with harder jobs like brick layers, concrete pourers etc. etc. these days... humans have grown soft over the last 50-60 years

[@sk8legendz]

@@LiLBitsDK they also had nothing else to do I think that was a large contribution to it I mean work was basically recreational activity at times

[@onyx91977]

@@christinealessandrini4280there has to be so much more tot he story! How was he working all day as a day laborer, then coming home to dig through this hard substance. And all have it done in 2 or 3 months. She stated that he started in July and the first section was done by the summer. So he was able to get out the heat…

[@weisemari]

​@@christinealessandrini4280 I'm an elder garden professional and I tell you, it's not as hard as you think, when the soil is fresh and you just keep on your scratching, sweeping and collecting the dust in the evening. I can dig out tree roots. My iron tools aren't inferior to the little claws of a field mouse. Each morning I'm annoyed about the newest achievement of the little animal in my garden. Makes its tunnels under the lawn.

[@Sycoinc]

this guy must have been pretty strong doing all this digging, so much work for an amazing legacy.

[@soundguydon]

That place is AMAZING. Thank you so much for sharing this video!! I could honestly see myself living there very very happily. What a cozy, wonderful place to live!! He definitely knew how to make it his personal space.. I love love love it!

[@marianalvarado4193]

This was great to see again! I grew up in Fresno, and I went here as a child with my grandparents. I do remember the tree that grew 7 different types of fruit!

[@auntigingy8666]

The fact that he worked his whole life to dig this is beyond impressive. Compare this man’s life to most people’s life work.

[@brothernorb8586]

The fact that you (and virtually everyone) believe that story is a testament of how far humanity has come to Idiocracy.

[@blastshieldaddiction]

I once lived in a two story condo that had a stairway light. It required an almost story and half ladder to remove the cover and change the burned out bulb. Three years later, I just moved. Eff that light bulb.

[@TheHonestPeanut]

@@brothernorb8586 You don't think he did this?

[@brothernorb8586]

@@TheHonestPeanut critical thinking

[@TheHonestPeanut]

@@brothernorb8586 not an actual answer. Sounds like you just have soft hands.

[@ericastier1646]

This is absolutely amazing, so much respect for this man and sadness for the lonely years of dig to do this. Excelent presentation by the guide, on all aspects, thank you~

[@motomuso]

Thanks Kirsten, and thanks to our guide - a most pleasant and knowledgeable host!

[@kevindouglas8768]

I'M INSPIRED !!! At 56, I've been cutting the side of my mountain for 2 years so I can live here. Just spent 5 weeks running jack hammer and a tractor to clear rocks so I can have more usable ground. Now I'm loaded with fresh ideas. This video deserves more attention than YT will give it. Thanks:)

[@williammitchell1804]

I lived in Fresno CA for almost two years. I never knew this place existed until many years after I moved away. I never heard anyone speak of it. But people were always talking about their experiences with hardpan. Despite his initial setback Baldassare Forestiere's perseverance and really hard work produced something even more amazing than his first dream.

[@lilykatmoon4508]

This is absolutely stunning! What an amazing man. I’d definitely watch a biopic of his life.

[@cath3638]

It really feels like a Sicilian village What an amazing man. I'd love to know more about the drainage.

[@randomvintagefilm273]

I can attest to Fresno being an irrigated desert, basically. I live here and wish we had an underground place like this. Smart man!

[@elitefitrea]

This is so much nicer than conventional building construction! Can't believe there aren't huge communities living like this! Very amazing!

[@mfcobb1]

Lol

[@bonnieprice9482]

There are also ones in Arizona and Nevada earth homes 😊😊😊

[@elitefitrea]

@RedactedMisinformant Thanks for the recommendation. I checked it out - it's cool but without the trees it doesn't have the same charm as this abode

[@SaintSaint]

A community like this would have challenges with humidity during certain times of the year. However, a bit of HVAC work, roof irrigation and a rain deflector over the edges of the larger circular holes would likely do wonders. We could live above ground on hot nights and below ground on hot days/cold nights. If we coordinated our irrigation, we would not only sidestep much of the humidity, but we would empower agriculture.

[@RealShinpin]

It's because it requires extremely hard labor... Normal construction is hard enough, doing THIS. Is hard.

[@xikano8573]

Whoa, now this is a masterpiece!!! It's not in a flood zone, is it?!? All he needed was a little underground pool. Wow, great little find KD, thx for sharing!!! Eat your heart out, Hearst!!! 😂 I say this is ought to be considered the original Earth Ship!!!

[@pambrewer9082]

Amazing He made the best of the land instead of giving up.

[@vincent7520]

Reading all comments below I feel compelled to make a small note as an alternative to my previous very long comment. The man was not alone : he accumulated the experience of thousands of farmers in his own country who built their houses and caves/cellars by hand over generations of building without architects. He was alone on the site but he didn’t have to spend a lot of time drawing, making blueprints, etc… and he went fast because he knew since he was a child how to proceed ) and obviously he had family and friends who could give hand once in a while) … My parents’ best friends were of Italian descend and buil a big farm house in the mountain in Provence with the same rough techniques as shown here and they did it so fast we couldn’t believe it.

[@sanjaybhatikar]

Thanks for that perspective!

[@FogGoblin]

This is my Partial Dream Home.

[@andrew_nayes]

39:13 "once he started making friends in the community, he would accept help with pushing the wheelbarrows up to ground level"

[@rockjockchick]

Good to know! Thanks

[@B30pt87]

Kirsten, this impressed me more than anything else I've see you cover. It's like a monument to what one person can accomplish. I mean, one man (and eventually, an old man) in over 100 degree heat, digging into rock with hand tools...

[@patriciagabig9912]

I feel the same way. She has shown us a lot of impressive places but this one is simply amazing.

[@alkebulansan]

Opal miners have been doing the same thing in Coober pedy, Australia for many years. There are now underground hotels that you can stay in. And of course they built and continue to build their homes underground for exactly the same reasons as this gentleman did.

[@siobhanrose1680]

What an incredible man! Is a shame he didn’t have a family of his own to pass this along to, what a treasure!

[@laikanbarth]

This is so interesting!! I would love to live in a cave underground especially in the summer. What an amazing man he was to build all that. I’m just astonished that he did it all by himself. He did a wonderful job. I would’ve loved to sit down and talk to him.

[@hat8918]

I feel like living in a cave would be fun for about 3 days.

[@WhiteFyre]

How inspirational! My parents are Sicilian immigrants who moved to Australia. I found this story very inspiring and interesting. Thank you for sharing it!

[@ApproximatelyCee]

Kirsten, you really outdid yourself with this one. Your documentaries are so fascinating. I was in Fresno as a kid with my farming uncle and cousins. They never mentioned this fascinating and beautiful work of art.

[@anitavirginillo]

I was fortunate enough to tour this incredible home about 20 years ago. truly an amazing piece of architecture.

[@scottapache5041]

If I lived there and saw this man doing this, I would have followed exactly what he did like a disciple.

[@anthonydowling3356]

Unlikely .He was a workaholic .I hope he sat down long enough to admire it .

[@kaileymo]

This is the kind of thing I would daydream about as a kid. What I would do if all I had to build home for myself was my own 2 hands and the environment around me, while also making it beautiful and comfortable. He was a visionary! Maybe someday everyone living in the desert will live like this.

[@caitlynaizpiri7806]

This is an incredible home. I grew up nearby and never knew anything of this. When I head back I’d love to go back and visit in person. I wish we worked to live with the natural environment more like this man. Seems like he built a great home/life for himself.

[@LeChatsMother]

This young woman who showed you around has a lovely energy - she clearly enjoys what she does and has a passion for the history of this amazing man.

[@eleanor8100]

I was lucky enough to visit the gardens almost 50 years ago during high school and also about 5 years ago and the place looks almost the same. I have lived in the San Joaquin Valley all my life and I can attest to the summer heat. Brutal. I live in Fresno and I encourage anyone who might be travelling thru Fresno to San Francisco, Los Angeles or Yosemite to stop by and see this wonderful place. It's wonderful!

[@skwatson2617]

What an amazing creation. It should be kept as an historical gem, an example of natural architecture and craative passion. Certainly worth preserving from any encroaching development.

[@kimyellowhorse7582]

Oh my goodness, this is mind blowing! The fact that one person accomplished so so much without any formal training. Just trial and error, and unbelievably hard work. With a shovel and a pick. 🤯 Quite a legacy!

[@susanboyd245]

In the 60 plus years I've lived in the San Joaquin valley I never knew that wonderful place was ther !! I'll have to bring my grandchildren to see it 💕💕 Thank you for sharing this amazing place.

[@wifi2118]

Absolutely Incredible, Baldassare Forestiere was a genius! He has created a underground Garden of Eden. I am amazed at his talent, foresight and creativity.

[@karenlynn374]

… and the incredible amount of determination

[@richardgordon]

Obviously Baldassare Forestiere was an extraordinary person to accomplish what he did, with what he had. It would have been extremely difficult in terms of physical labor, tenacity and guts. On the other hand, his great accomplishment is appreciated by at least 1.2 million people (and probably many more people in the future) many years after his death.

[@sterntaler64]

This home is a dream, absolutely adorable, like its builder. I hope it will be preserved and possibly reconnected with the separated parts. Thank you for the awesome video, I love it 😍🥰

[@sazennonumber]

What a special man. And what a touching, amazing life. That which he was able to do is incredible and astonishing. Rest in a beautiful peace, Baldassare. 💖

[@MicsLanguages]

Wow, this is so inspiring. I wouldn't have believed this if not for this video. What a man!

[@tutnetam]

Don’t believe it, I’m sure the guy just discovered structures from previous civilization

[@nas8326]

More likely, he wasn't working alone.

[@IvanIvanoIvanovich]

It's heartbreaking how many people from Fresno don't know about this treasure and have never been.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Only the transplants. If you were raised here more than likely you had a school field trip here at some point in your life. The LA transplants are clueless like you said.

[@IvanIvanoIvanovich]

@@plantfeeder6677 How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? My school never went there for a field trip, and I'm 30 now.

[@cyclonebee8175]

@karlwithak. There's so much stupid in such a small comment I think it's probably the only thing you're good at.

[@maxwarboy3625]

this place could draw international tourists. it's awesome

[@bloodrot123]

probably a good thing, people would litter and graphite it and generally trash the area

[@daxmojones9025]

Fresnan here. Hardpan is no joke. Basically like digging through rock. 20 years ago I dug about 30 holes 4 feet deep with a Bosch jack hammer. Took me a few weeks coming home after work. Can't even imagine how hard this was with no power tools.

[@Eliz2011abc]

This man left an amazing legacy! It's a true testament to the saying "what you conceive you can achieve". Architectural student should visit this place as inspiration.

[@leonawellington3156]

I’ve been there and was totally blown away! I’m so happy to know it is still there. I had heard the city wanted to turn it into a parking lot and I was outraged - so I’m thrilled it is still there to be admired!

[@sherylcuppy]

Thank you so much for sharing. What an accomplishment and testament to the kind of creative, hardworking individual he was. What he created is beautiful and should be shrared.

[@l.a7710]

This sweet tour guide has such a wonderful sensitivityof who Baldassare was, it woudbve been hard to connote who he was without her.

[@optoutsociety8461]

This is Fantastic!! I have property in an area with no building codes. I am planning on going with an earthship style home but this has given me even more inspiration.

[@JohnSmith-tz4on]

And where is this please? What should I look for to find such areas?

[@Nimsrodel]

Where is an area with no building codes? Most counties have them?

[@rockjockchick]

Where is that? Can you direct message if you don’t to to spread the word publicly?

[@kriskabin]

​@@JohnSmith-tz4on Cochise County, Az.

[@optoutsociety8461]

@@JohnSmith-tz4on Cochise County, Arizona. You need at least 4 acres zoned RU4 (most of the county is zoned this). You need a septic but they allow composting toilets and a single grey water line.

[@suemiller1947]

I went there over 25 years ago with my sister when she came to visit me in California. The only thing she wanted to visit and see was the underground home. It truly is a great thing to see.👍🏻👍🏻

[@mfr336]

This is actually incredible! I mean...I can't wrap my head around how one person could have so much strength, determination, energy, and discipline to accomplish all of this. I'm flabbergasted. I can't put into words how amazed I am. I can't even get dinner on the table on time, and have all the laundry done on the same day. What has become of humanity?

[@day2148]

This is what a lifelong passion project looks like. Absolutely amazing.

[@leondarko8491]

This has to be one of the coolest underground houses I've ever seen.. the plants, the creativity , ingenuity .. WOW

[@nofurtherwest3474]

How can a tree grow different fruits?

[@oscarmayer9823]

So interesting of a man. And very hard working! I find it so astonishing it was 115 in 1906 and that we are led to believe that only hot climate is a problem of modern times. I must visit this amazing place!