Cascata del Botto
Cascata del Botto is a stunning waterfall hidden in the hills between the villages of Melano and Rovio. You can walk in from either village, the Rovio hike is shorter (roughly 20 min) but from the Melano side is the more photogenic route. From Melano it takes about 40 minutes and the trail winds through a forest full of tall chestnut trees and large boulders covered in thick moss. That stretch alone is worth photographing. The path narrows as you get closer to the gorge and the sound of the water builds before you see it. A small bridge crosses the stream further downstream, and from there you scramble over rocks to reach the base of the falls. The plunge pool at the bottom is a vivid turquoise, and a large boulder sits right in front of the cascade, which gives you a natural focal point in the foreground. The rock walls on either side give warm reddish tones that contrast perfectly with the lush green vegetation above. The gorge gets sunlight depending on the time of day, so overcast conditions will help keep the exposure more manageable for long exposures of the water. (Melano, Ticino, Switzerland)
