[3][4] Baldassare Forestiere (Italian pronunciation: [baldasˈsarre foreˈstjɛːre]; July 8, 1879 – November 10, 1946) was born in the hamlet of Filari, near Rometta on the northeastern tip of Sicily.

[5] He immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s after a conflict with his father, and after time on the East Coast purchased land in Fresno.

The pathways and rooms were constructed with various widths to help direct airflow by creating pressure as it moves through narrower portions and maintain movement as it bounces off the slants and curves of the cavernous walls.

Trees and vines were also planted above the dwelling, acting as insulation and forming canopies that provide protection from the elements.

T. Coraghessan Boyle wrote a fictionalized account of Forestiere, the short story "The Underground Gardens," which was published in The New Yorker in 1998.