alt Hacker NewsForestiere Underground Gardens
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Not sure if it was from the last time this was posted but there’s a decent YouTube video about this place.[1]
Interesting case of double-layered false nominative determinism. Although foresta in Italian means "forest" and thus the surname would seem eminently plant-based, it actually means "foreigner", which I guess he also ended up being as Italian immigrant in the US. The etymology of forest and foreigner is closely related and means basically just "(from the) outside".
One place this reminded me of (which isn't in the "see also" section): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jameos_del_Agua on Lanzarote (Canary Islands). Both are underground structures inspired by traditional dwellings and take advantage of the cooling effect of underground structures, but Jameos del Agua is much larger and built inside a natural (partly collapsed) lava tube, not excavated. As a bonus, it also has an endemic species of cave crab called jameito. Also something for fans of lavish 1960s architecture.
My dad took me here a couple times as a kid, it's such a lovely place. Highly recommend checking it out, it's well worth the drive.
Reminded me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyttle
There is a good write-up/obituary of him at https://www.ft.com/content/fe13350f-6522-4892-b67e-301828b10...
Reminds me a little bit of Ferdinand Cheval and his Palais idéal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Cheval#Palais_id%C3%...
Well worth a visit, oddly touching in a way.
This reminds of a moisture farm from the Star Wars — https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lars_homestead
I went there once yawwwn they make you listen to this hour dissertation... yeah don't take young kids there... snore fest..
Related: “The underground world of hobby tunneling”
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39245893
272 points | Feb 3, 2024 | 164 comments
Are there places in the world where this is still possible? I.e. relatively in a state of order but where enforcement of this kind of thing is poor.
It's beautiful, but I wouldn't want to be down there in a major quake.
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Crazy to see this on here! I grew up very close to this place.
Fresno gets crazy hot in the summer, often well into the 100s or up to 40+ c.
When you go down there, it's pretty shocking how cool it is, even in the middle of summer. Even with tons of natural light pouring in.
Really makes you wonder why the heck we build homes the way we do in such hot places.