268:
other miners. He did well, then in the early 1900s he heard that land was being sold off cheaply in North
Queensland to encourage new farming. He sold up and moved to Innisfail North Queensland, where he established a successful sugarcane farm. Bortolo returned to Italy (Tirano, his birthplace) and with the impending WWI looming, he encouraged his nephews to leave Italy and travel to Australia. Bortolo passed on his sugarcane farm to his eldest nephew, Giacomo (Jack) Bombardieri (his sister's son) and his younger brother Bortolo (Bob) Bombardieri. Jack came to Australia around 1914, followed by his brother Bob in 1920. Valerio would have been told to travel to North Queensland to meet up with his other cousin Jack, however it seems as though he disembarked in Port Pirie SA by mistake, and his sole adventures began. His uncle Bortolo would have also mentioned Broken Hill, where Valerio went to earlier on.
264:. From Hillston he walked, with no fixed destination, along the railway line arriving at the fringes of Griffith where a rainstorm forced him to find shelter. Next day exploring where he had stayed the night he found a huge overhanging rock which formed a dry, cave-like area. Nearby there were two reservoirs full of water, fruit and vegetable farms and a rubbish dump which not only had plenty of rabbits, but where he found a shovel, pick head, and axe head for which he made handles from nearby tree branches.
318:
283:
33:
395:
No one is absolutely sure if
Ricetti lived in the cave exclusively from that time although for the rest of World War II it is likely that he was not allowed to live back in his cave. It is known that he worked on Valentino Ceccato's farm until 1948, and then on the farm of Valentino's son. Ricetti is
294:
His industrious nature assisted by his background in dry stone walling saw him clear the site and create massive stone galleries, pathways, cliff side gardens, and floral painted rock walls. By hand
Ricetti moved hundreds of tons of rock over a number of years without anyone in the area ever becoming
217:
in the city. He left the brothel somewhat absentmindedly leaving his wallet and its contents behind. When he returned for his wallet, the establishment's pimp refused to let him back in and in his anger he threw a rock through one of the windows. The police were called, and a chase saw him captured
408:
By May 1952, he was in bad health but he had saved £1400 which allowed him to return to Italy, partly with the intention of seeing his brother with whom he had hitherto lost contact. It is clear that he intended to return to
Australia because he purchased a return ticket and left his savings in the
391:
Ricetti was released eight months later, taken to Sydney and there nominated his place of abode (as part of the register requirements) as Farm 219 Yoogali, Griffith which was the
Ceccato farm. A year later on 30 November 1944, he officially nominated the location of Crown Reserve (now called Scenic
358:
to register under the
National Security (Aliens Control) Regulations, report to the local police station each week, and carry an identity card at all times. Ricetti was arrested on 4 March 1942 for failing to register and failing to report. His statement that he was unaware of the requirements was
267:
Valerio's uncle, Bortolo
Ricetti, had travelled to Australia in the 1880s. Bortolo came to Australia during the gold rush era seeking his fortune. He eventually went to Broken Hill where he mined for opals for a while, then he worked out that he could earn more money by opening a boarding house for
365:
Intelligence of Sydney had different views however and demanded a search be conducted by local police of his cave premises. However they found no "literature of subversive or disloyal nature" or any "prohibited possessions". Nevertheless, it was alleged that
Ricetti had lined the walls of one of
313:
Two years later, Ricetti learned through the visit of a Mr
Agostini (another Italian in the community) that his old friends Ceccato and Bicego were in that same town and their friendship was renewed. They would pick him up on weekends to meet other people and while Ricetti became more sociable and
309:
Following his recuperation in hospital, he returned to his cave and
Ricetti, without any money but anxious to pay Dr Burrell for his services sneaked into town at night and worked secretly in the Doctor's garden. Dr Burrell caught him after a few visits and informed Ricetti that he was Government
290:
Deciding to stay on the hill and unaware that his old Italian colleagues, Ceccato and Bicego, had settled down nearby, Ricetti believed himself to be the only Italian in the area and so he kept entirely to himself, living in the cave as a home. His need for reclusiveness saw him keep a couple of
160:
and about 40 km northeast of Sondrio. Although Ricetti informed his lifelong friend Petronio Ceccato that he was born on 4 October 1898 he did at times adjust his date of birth so as to either get work, or receive adult pay rates. From that perspective while there is no actual birth record
291:
places to hide in the event of people coming by and for one of these he built a stone walled circular cave around a large tree that had a peephole in it. This hideout was set amongst shrubs so that he could hide without being spotted but keep watch until the people had left.
305:
It was this accident and the requirement to provide an address to the authorities that moved him from a state of reclusive obscurity to that of instant celebrity partly because of his hermit nature but particularly when the sheer size of his work at the cave was discovered.
387:
Internment Camp and then transferred to Loveday Internment Camp, South Australia on 21 April 1943. Part of his internment duties included building roads in the area and with his skills he was able to assist guards with ways to improve their road-building methods.
374:
prominently displayed. Ricetti was interviewed by Military Police who noted that he lived "in the highest and most secluded locality in the District ... about a mile from the various petrol depots, electricity substations and water channels in the
193:
and finding work there. In Broken Hill he stayed at a boarding house owned by Valentino and Elisabeth Ceccato. Valentino helped Ricetti get a job at the mine where he worked. The mine was owned by Francesco Bicego. He learned to speak
404:
Despite being employed by old friends at Griffith and becoming more sociable, Ricetti apparently was troubled by an illusion of "a man and a woman in the sky" who demanded that he do more and more work to his cave utopia.
172:
worker, learning his trade in road and rail tunnel construction. Ricetti had always wanted to come to Australia and he was saving money for the trip. His uncle, who had noted the impending war (which became
359:
accepted by the local police, and the local police Officer-in-Charge reported that he did not have a concern with Ricetti, noting that he was a "harmless mental deficient who lives the life of a hermit".
310:
Medical Officer and that payment was not required. Even so, the two became good friends with the doctor visiting him at his cave home regularly bringing gifts of things such as shoes and clothes.
213:
Returning to South Australia he worked in various jobs for several years and a certain level of frugality allowed him to save a year's wages, which he had in his pocket when he visited a
338:. Ricetti's work, completed totally on his own, covers 160,000 square metres of rocky ridge atop Scenic Hill, using the natural landscape and materials found in the area to create a
161:
available there are other records related to his later dealings with police in Australia which in detail given by him state that his date of birth was 12 March 1897.
757:
237:
his one remaining possession, a coat. Ricetti fell foul to a scandalous passer-by who pretended to assist but instead disappeared with the piece of clothing.
119:
area for a period of 23 years. Working only at night and in the early morning hours so that he would not be seen, he turned the cave into his own private "
298:
In 1935, after he had been in the location for six years Ricetti had a fall breaking a leg and badly bruising his ribs. Luckily he was found by a passing
379:" and that he was "known to wander about at night" and it was decided that he should be interned. He was arrested on 3 May 1942 at his cave and moved to
295:
aware of his presence. During this time he lived off the land – no doubt by scavenging from the tip, as well as the vegetable and fruit gardens nearby.
742:
424:
568:
210:. Ricetti worked in the Broken Hill area until 1918, leaving heartbroken because a barmaid whom he intended to marry had spurned his love.
123:" complete with kitchen, chapel, landscaping, pathways, stone walls, stone stairs, paths, terraced gardens and cisterns for water supply.
767:
380:
339:
506:
177:), suggested he migrate to Australia before all passenger shipping was cancelled, and then lent him the money to travel.
762:
376:
190:
737:
650:
241:
189:
in October 1914, just as he turned 16 years of age, working there for some months before moving to the mining town of
186:
540:
334:, which he had learned during his apprenticeship in his North Italian homeland, creating what he referred to as his
545:
261:
116:
302:
who notified an ambulance, and he was taken to the nearby Griffith hospital and treated by Dr E W Burrell.
396:
said to have always been a loner, working away from others and as necessary sleeping in the pruning shed.
384:
412:
In November 1952, Bruno Ceccato (son of Valentino Ceccato) received a notice from the Municipality of
752:
747:
685:
226:
693:
Fenwick, W. H (3 February 1977). "His Eden Blossomed on an Alien Hill". The Area News. pp. 8–9.
260:. As a part of his travels he followed the Murrumbidgee downstream to the Lachlan then upstream to
572:
109:
317:
253:
467:
705:
420:
277:
199:
195:
104:
362:
207:
203:
330:
After he was found it was learned that Ricetti had used the traditional artisan skill of
722:
335:
245:
620:
282:
731:
257:
219:
314:
they attempted to coax him from his reclusiveness he continued to live in his cave.
351:
249:
149:
682:
Recovering the Lost Landscape of Valerio Ricetti: the archaeology of an individual
594:
32:
355:
174:
153:
165:
331:
230:
88:
244:
in 1928, Ricetti managed to get some work as a sailor on the Mary Anne, a
709:
371:
234:
169:
145:
413:
299:
214:
141:
137:
84:
56:
367:
120:
112:
80:
316:
281:
157:
225:
When he was released he left South Australia to spend time in
512:. NSW Government, Office of Environment & Heritage
392:
Hill) – the place of his cave as his place of abode.
354:state authorities put in place the requirement for
164:As a young teenager he was apprenticed to become a
76:
64:
42:
23:
423:and has now been preserved with a listing on the
530:Sergio De-Campo, son-in-law of Bob Bombardieri
381:Liverpool Prisoners of War and Internment Camp
321:Dry stone walling at the Hermit's Cave complex
156:, and located about 130 km northeast of
8:
366:his caves with newspaper reports concerning
31:
20:
446:
444:
442:
440:
500:
498:
496:
494:
492:
490:
488:
601:. NSW Heritage Office. 19 February 2007
571:. Griffith City Council. Archived from
436:
505:Office of Environment & Heritage.
198:very well, and he could already speak
758:People from Griffith, New South Wales
342:that stretched for over a kilometre.
103:
16:Italian-Australian hermit (1898–1952)
7:
419:Ricetti's cave home became known as
140:, a municipality in the Province of
416:Valtellina that Ricetti had died.
115:who lived mainly in a cave in the
14:
108:; 4 October 1898 – 1952) was an
453:From Broken Hill to Scenic Hill
743:Italian emigrants to Australia
466:Kennedy, Jean (28 July 2006).
1:
326:Complexity of Ricetti’s cave
136:Valerio Ricetti was born in
105:[vaˈlɛːrjoriˈtʃetti]
684:((Honors) thesis, Vol. 1).
286:Hermit Cave complex in 1936
272:Creating a Utopia in a cave
242:Burrinjuck, New South Wales
187:Port Pirie, South Australia
784:
655:Historical Towns Directory
275:
546:The Sydney Morning Herald
451:Ceccato,Petronio (2001).
262:Hillston, New South Wales
218:and sentenced to time in
152:, close to the border of
144:in the Italian region of
30:
680:Caillard, Bobby (2005).
383:and then transferred to
698:Kabaila, Peter (2005).
507:"Hermit's Cave Complex"
455:. Ultraprint, Griffith.
425:State Heritage Register
346:World War II internment
181:Early life in Australia
148:which is a part of the
37:Valerio Ricetti in 1938
768:20th-century squatters
322:
287:
101:Italian pronunciation:
657:. Australian Heritage
569:"History of Griffith"
320:
285:
686:University of Sydney
649:Ed. Coverdale, Kim.
431:References and notes
350:With the arrival of
763:People from Sondalo
702:. pp. 105–108.
575:on 14 December 2006
185:Ricetti arrived at
132:Early life in Italy
738:Australian hermits
723:Caves of Australia
599:Media & Events
323:
288:
254:Murrumbidgee River
110:Italian-Australian
700:Griffith Heritage
688:. pp. 28–34.
549:. 8 February 2004
332:dry stone walling
94:
93:
89:dry stone walling
775:
703:
694:
689:
667:
666:
664:
662:
646:
640:
639:
637:
635:
625:
617:
611:
610:
608:
606:
591:
585:
584:
582:
580:
565:
559:
558:
556:
554:
537:
531:
528:
522:
521:
519:
517:
511:
502:
483:
482:
480:
478:
463:
457:
456:
448:
400:Death and legacy
248:that worked the
107:
102:
52:
50:
35:
21:
783:
782:
778:
777:
776:
774:
773:
772:
728:
727:
719:
697:
692:
679:
676:
671:
670:
660:
658:
648:
647:
643:
633:
631:
630:. Fairfax Media
623:
619:
618:
614:
604:
602:
593:
592:
588:
578:
576:
567:
566:
562:
552:
550:
539:
538:
534:
529:
525:
515:
513:
509:
504:
503:
486:
476:
474:
465:
464:
460:
450:
449:
438:
433:
402:
377:Irrigation Area
363:Military Police
348:
328:
280:
274:
240:Moving then to
183:
134:
129:
100:
97:Valerio Ricetti
72:
69:
60:
54:
48:
46:
38:
26:
25:Valerio Ricetti
17:
12:
11:
5:
781:
779:
771:
770:
765:
760:
755:
750:
745:
740:
730:
729:
726:
725:
718:
717:External links
715:
714:
713:
695:
690:
675:
672:
669:
668:
641:
624:(Travel guide)
612:
586:
560:
532:
523:
484:
458:
435:
434:
432:
429:
401:
398:
347:
344:
336:Garden of Eden
327:
324:
276:Main article:
273:
270:
246:paddle steamer
182:
179:
133:
130:
128:
125:
92:
91:
78:
74:
73:
71:Sondalo, Italy
70:
68:1952 (aged 53)
66:
62:
61:
55:
53:4 October 1898
44:
40:
39:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
780:
769:
766:
764:
761:
759:
756:
754:
751:
749:
746:
744:
741:
739:
736:
735:
733:
724:
721:
720:
716:
711:
707:
701:
696:
691:
687:
683:
678:
677:
673:
656:
652:
645:
642:
629:
622:
616:
613:
600:
596:
590:
587:
574:
570:
564:
561:
548:
547:
542:
536:
533:
527:
524:
508:
501:
499:
497:
495:
493:
491:
489:
485:
473:
472:ABC Stateline
469:
462:
459:
454:
447:
445:
443:
441:
437:
430:
428:
426:
422:
421:Hermit's Cave
417:
415:
410:
406:
399:
397:
393:
389:
386:
382:
378:
373:
369:
364:
360:
357:
353:
345:
343:
341:
337:
333:
325:
319:
315:
311:
307:
303:
301:
296:
292:
284:
279:
278:Hermit's Cave
271:
269:
265:
263:
259:
258:Lachlan River
255:
251:
247:
243:
238:
236:
232:
228:
223:
221:
220:Adelaide Gaol
216:
211:
209:
205:
201:
197:
192:
188:
180:
178:
176:
171:
167:
162:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
139:
131:
126:
124:
122:
118:
114:
111:
106:
98:
90:
86:
82:
79:
77:Occupation(s)
75:
67:
63:
58:
45:
41:
34:
29:
22:
19:
699:
681:
659:. Retrieved
654:
644:
632:. Retrieved
627:
615:
603:. Retrieved
598:
595:"What's New"
589:
577:. Retrieved
573:the original
563:
551:. Retrieved
544:
535:
526:
514:. Retrieved
475:. Retrieved
471:
461:
452:
418:
411:
409:local bank.
407:
403:
394:
390:
370:which had a
361:
356:enemy aliens
352:World War II
349:
329:
312:
308:
304:
297:
293:
289:
266:
250:Murray River
239:
233:he tried to
224:
212:
184:
163:
150:Italian Alps
135:
96:
95:
18:
753:1952 deaths
748:1898 births
516:19 November
229:. While in
191:Broken Hill
175:World War I
154:Switzerland
732:Categories
651:"Griffith"
621:"Griffith"
541:"Griffith"
510:(Database)
468:"The Week"
166:stonemason
49:1898-10-04
628:Walkabout
340:hermitage
231:Melbourne
127:Biography
710:63764797
372:swastika
227:Victoria
170:concrete
146:Lombardy
117:Griffith
674:Sources
661:9 March
634:9 March
605:9 March
579:9 March
553:9 March
477:9 March
414:Sondrio
300:swagman
215:brothel
200:Italian
196:English
142:Sondrio
138:Sondalo
85:artisan
59:, Italy
57:Sondalo
708:
368:Hitler
208:French
204:German
121:utopia
113:hermit
81:Hermit
385:Cowra
158:Milan
706:OCLC
663:2007
636:2007
607:2007
581:2007
555:2007
518:2018
479:2007
256:and
235:pawn
206:and
168:and
65:Died
43:Born
734::
653:.
626:.
597:.
543:.
487:^
470:.
439:^
427:.
252:,
222:.
202:,
87:-
83:,
712:)
704:(
665:.
638:.
609:.
583:.
557:.
520:.
481:.
99:(
51:)
47:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
