By Darla Anderson

One day, probably in 1963, my family decided to stop at a quaint spot in Yarnell identifying itself with large letters as "Carraro’s Grotto." From the slender winding road, we could see giant gray boulders and a handmade railing that looked like the entry. In front was a small space to accommodate cars and to the left was a small gray trailer. The grotto loomed above.

As we parked the car, an elderly man stepped from the door of the trailer, smiling. We sat in our vehicle as he approached and immediately we could see that we were most welcome.

After we had briefly explained our interest in the site, we didn’t have to do much more talking. Alessio Carraro introduced himself and pleasantly told us all about his project and invited us to look it over. His grotto consisted of a forged path through dozens of giant boulders many of which he had labeled according to their shape. Painted in large letters were rock formations named "Noah’s Ark," "Alligator," "Elephant," "Salamander," "Rock of Ages" and many others. It was truly a natural rocky wonderland that inspired the imagination of this artistic Italian and greeted us as we slowly walked the fascinating grounds.

There were handcrafted steps, both wooden and cement, that lifted us to the various levels of the grounds. Clearly, Mr. Carraro had put a tremendous amount of thought, time and work into this venture since arriving in Yarnell in the 1950s. It had become a small tourist attraction.

There was also a most interesting steep wooden staircase alongside the gentler path which we used. It led up to another level where we saw what appeared to be the wooden front of a room built into the boulders. Continuing on the path, we found ourselves in front of this fascinating structure. We opened the door and inside was an immaculately clean little bedroom – a well-made bed with a pillow and colorful blanket and a throw-rug on the floor. It was certainly the most home-like cozy little bedroom I had ever seen.

After we completed the large loop trail, we returned to the base of the grotto where Mr. Carraro again greeted us at the parking area near his trailer. He then smilingly explained that the little room in the rocks was his bedroom. Every night he climbed the wooden staircase and slept in that cozy room. He added, "That’s how I get my exercise."

The grotto was unattended after Alessio Carraro’s death in 1964. Before vandals descended on the grotto, I recall going back and visiting his bedroom again and saw that someone had placed the American Flag on his bed. In the ensuing years, vandals desecrated the entire grotto, and weed growth did the rest of the damage. Mr. Carraro’s little trailer stood until it literally fell apart in ruins.

It was many years later I learned that Mr. Carraro had also been the creator and builder (in 1928) of what is now known as the Tovrea Castle and Carraro Cactus Garden in Phoenix. The 3-tier Tovrea Castle, known as "The wedding-cake," is a highly visible Phoenix landmark located on East Washington Street near the 202. He had sold the castle in 1931 to Mr. Edward Tovrea. Much effort has been expended by the City of Phoenix since purchasing it in 1993 and there are plans to open it to the public in time for the statehood centennial in 2012, if not before. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

A couple of years ago, I also heard that Carraro’s Grotto in Yarnell was finally purchased but I don’t know what the buyer is going to do with the property. At present, the new owners, the Campblins, are willing to show the grotto. It is located along the "Shrine" road in Yarnell.

I feel honored to have personally met this artist, Mr. Alessio Carraro, a man of ambition and great imagination with a most humble and pleasant personality. Both of his creations – the grotto and the castle – are well worth a visit.

Darla Anderson was born on a small stock farm in Postville, Iowa and lived there until adulthood. She, with her parents Alpha and Vera Hangartner, vacationed in Arizona in 1958 and returned to live in Yarnell a few years later. She married Harry M. Anderson and moved to Congress.

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(Post card courtesy of Parker Anderson) Reuse only by permission.
Postcard of Carraro’s Grotto in Yarnell in the early 1960s.

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(Grotto recent photo) Reuse only bypermission.
Carraro’s Grotto of rocks and winding paths showing his special bedroom at the top.

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(Grotto recent photo) Reuse only by permission.
The remains of Carraro’s bedroom at the top of his maze of rocks.