My wife and I have made it our mission to travel around Switzerland as much as possible for the month of July. Thankfully, we have friends scattered across the country, nuzzled up in the most beautiful regions. We decided to spend three days in the Italian speaking side of the country, in a friend’s vacation home in the village of Lodrino. This area of the Italian speaking part is known for its waterfalls, and brings many people from all over the world who are intrigued by canyoning and rock climbing. As I am terrified of heights, I did not participate in those activites, however, as an avid hiker, we did make our way up the mountain to discover the hidden gems, tucked away from the naked eye down below. 

From the village itself, you can take a short walk across a babbling river, under a bridge and then over a bridge, through the countryside and then up a mountain. The first two kilometres of the hike are easy – just a flat path, half of it even being covered by beautiful green trees to keep you in the shade. The next part of the trail proves to be the most complicated part. Once you pass the grassy fields and goat farm, you find yourself in front of a shaded trail that looks almost like nature’s stairway. You spend the next 15 to 20 minutes walking straight up, as if the tree roots and natural granite stones created a stairway straight to heaven. The huffing and puffing is worth it, and this part of the trail is once again covered by trees so you aren’t too warm in the shade. You pass through the trees and by more grassy fields with little stone houses made straight from the granite facades that surround you. As you get close, you can start to hear the babbling of the streams in your ears. You will know you’re at the top when you hit a dead end – literally. 
There is a wall carved out of stone in front of you. To the left – an old bunker used by the Swiss to keep the Italians out during the war. To your right – a small curve at the end of the stone wall that you can slide across. Once you wiggle your body around the stone, you find yourself at the top of the mountain, with a straight view down to where you came from. As I am terrified of heights, panic started to hit. The beauty was astonishing, but the fear of the drop had me wanting to lay on the hot stone and hold myself down. Not only do you have the view to enjoy, but water flows between the granite in the natural paths that have been created millions of years ago. The sound is loud at this point, because even though you cannot see it, past the large rocks there is the first waterfall. In order to access it, you have to carefully walk your way across the raised paths of stone, climb over a boulder, and lower yourself down the other side. Unfortunately, this is the hardest part of the hike and it only gets easier and more beautiful. Once across the large bolder, the first waterfall will show its face. If you’re anything like me, your first thought will be ‘Seriously? That’s it?’ But don’t listen to yourself. The water here is beautiful and crystal clear, but you can immediately see that it is too deep and impossible to get out of once you get in. Worry not – Continue up the dirt path right after you cross the stones. 

The next part of your hike will be quick, a short 15 minutes max and you will find yourself hearing the babbling water again. Once you find the granite stones, try to stay close as it will lead you safely to waterfall number two. Below, there will be canyonners making their way down a drop that you cannot access. You won’t be too jealous of their views once you see the view that will appear from out of the trees, like an oasis. The second waterfall has a gentle wall of cool water that will refresh you instantaneously. It is easy to get in, and you can just drop your things on a dry rock or log at the entrance to the pool. The water might feel cold at the start, but the more you get in, the more your body will welcome the temperature and relax your feet and muscles. It blows my mind how a place could be so safe – the water is empty (besides you), and you don’t have to worry about snakes or spiders, or any creature, not even a fish. This waterfall isn’t too deep, though you won’t be able to touch your feet to the bottom if you venture out to shower below the fall of the water. With a few friends, we spent about an hour here splashing around, and we were completely alone the entire time, until a group came with the only goal to make their way down the waterfall with their ropes and gear. Once we were feeling refreshed, we decided to venture to the next waterfall. 

To access the third waterfall, you cross the stones as if you were continuing your initial hike. There are red and white arrows that will guide you. Be warned – these indications are NOT for the waterfalls, but for a different hike. That being said, they will take you to the third waterfall on this part of your hike. Follow the arrows until you come onto another granite stone house. Before you get close to it, you should have an uphill dirt path that takes you up and behind the house – take this path and turn right once at the top of the little path. From there, just follow the path and the sound of the water. This part should take another 20 minutes but feel like a little lifetime. When you really start to hear the water, you should have a dirt path that drops you down right onto this view. The third waterfall is even better than the second, with tiny granite cliffs safe for jumping right into the water. Off to the left you will once again find an old bunker. Believe it or not, the doors of the bunkers are open and you can go in. We went into the first one at the first waterfall, but this one was too dark and had stairs, and I’m too afraid – too many horror movies in my life. Instead of giving ourselves that thrill, we decided to jump straight into the water off one of the rounded rocks. The water is deep enough to not hurt yourself and the water is only slightly colder than the second waterfall. When you get out of the water, do be careful. Due to the smoothness of the granite, you can slip if you’re not careful. When the stones are dry, you have a great grip and nothing to worry about, but the moment your wet feet touch the stone, you create a small risk. At this waterfall, you will have the choice of shady areas or sunny areas, if you choose to either rest in the cool air or sunbathe on the rocks like one of the lizards. I chose the shade, and had a sweet drink and some salty nuts to keep up my energy. We were once again alone and we felt like three mermaids vibing in our own secret oasis. Though we never wanted to ever leave this place, we saw people walking on the rocks above. We were told to visit these three waterfalls, but nobody mentioned a fourth? Our curiosity was on high as we packed our bags and slid our wet feet into our socks and shoes. 

We once again hiked up, following the flow of the water, and maybe only ten minutes later, we fell onto this beauty. Another gorgeous waterfall. To access this one, you have to remove your shoes and cross the very shallow water to the other side. Be careful here – as there is a drop down to a waterfall that is not accessible by foot. Waterfall number four is carved into what feels like a surrounded cave with transparent cold water and rigid mossy granite stone. Plants push their way out between the layers of the ancient rocks and the silence of this heaven hits hard in the heart. The water here feels freezing, but that might have been due to the time of day, as we arrived at this waterfall around six in the evening. We were once again alone and took turns jumping from the large mossy boulder that was in the middle of the pool. One of us floated around below the rushing flow of the fall while others of us stood back taking in the views. If I had the voice for, and I was alone, I could see myself singing into the hollow acoustics of this location, taking in and sharing with the nature that I was basking in. 

From here we decided it could not get better than this, and turned back. Before we did though, we saw signs pointing arrows up the mountain, do not take this path. It is just a third bunker up the mountain, on an unmarked path. We tried, we got stuck and could not find our path back down. We took the risk so you don’t have to. Just leave. Take the path you took back down, following along the waterfalls as a guide. As a reminder, once you pass the second waterfall, be careful of the red and white markers. They will not take you back on your feet. Try to remember the steps you took before to guide you back down to the first waterfall. Also, as your legs and feet have been carrying you up the mountain the entire day, be mindful of your steps and pay close attention to not slip and hurt yourself – especially when you have to cross the stones of the first waterfall. Once you’re at the first waterfall again, you will clearly remember the steps you took to get here, and take the natural stairs back down the mountain to the grassy countryside. The hike took us a total of about 15km from the center of Lodrino, I just forgot to activate my Strava before leaving. Remember to pack plenty of water and snacks for the day trip, along with sunscreen and a charged cellphone just in case. Stay away from ledges and be mindful if you try to climb up the rocks. If you’re not able to make it up the mountain – no worries, there are accessible streams and waterfalls in the village of Lodrino itself. I highly recommend taking the trip out to Italian speaking Switzerland, do your research and you will never ever be disappointed. See you out there <3

All my love.