Forest Reserve "Valle della Motta" from Mendrisio, ending in Chiasso

Saturday March 28th, 2026 -- As Urs was now available as a walking partner, and more snow and very low temperatures in the north, we gave it another try with a trip south, this time being assured the warm temperatures WITHOUT the cold winds! (see also my yesterday's journey to the south, photos HERE) .

We chose an easy 10-km walk on trails we had not done before, in the very southernmost part of the country near the border with Italy, walking from Mendrisio to Chiasso along National Trail no.7: "Via Gottardo" (a total 330-km trail across Switzerland from Basel to Chiasso) via the lovely forest reserve of Valle della Motta, and then along the base of the a small hill where the southernmost point of the the country is located, a site we visited on a walk in July of 2017.

As it turns out, there must have been some bad storms recently, as there were many downed trees in the park, some rather difficult to climb over. But generally, we followed a lovely winding trail following the Roncaglia River, in a park where the trees were just starting to get their spring greenery. In all, it was a generally uneventful Sunday afternoon walk, and best of all, even though this is in the very south of Switzerland (we even touched on the Italian border), only a two-hour trip each way for us. 

After a snowy landscape north of the Alps, the train emerges from the Gotthard Base Tunnel to sunshine and greening landscapes. Straight ahead at the entrance to the Blenio Valley (we have been often), the snow is gone in the mountain village of Dagro, which we can access via cable car, and hope to do another hike there again soon.

Our train passes via Bellinzona, with its impressive castle "Castel Grande" right in the center of the city. (One of three castles which form one of Switzerland's UNESCO World Heritage Sites).

To save us about 15 minutes of walking through the city of Mendrisio (along a busy road), we caught a bus at the train station for the short ride to the start of the hike into the Forest Reserve "Valle della Motta". The river we were following (Roncaglia) has its source right about here. We started here at 10:45, after just over two hours of travel time from home. 

This was an easy 10-km walk for us. Starting at 10:45 in Mendrisio, we passed through the Forest Reservoir "Valle della Motta" (in the blue circle), then headed right onto the Italian border, before continuing on to Chiasso. There we caught the 14:34 train back home. About two hours of travel time each direction. 

The hike started in the first of several little "valleys", this one simply called "Valetta". There were many such little bridges to cross. 

A lovely park in the middle of a predominantly "citified" region.

The trail crosses under the railway line here, the line between Mendrisio and Chiasso. 

Description of the Valle della Motta Forest Reserve, 34 hectares. 

Now officially in the Reserve Park "Valle della Motta", we are more than surprised at this downed tree directly on the bridge, making passage difficult. The storm that brought this tree down must have happened recently, as surely they would have cleaned this out by now. Luckily, the bridge was not damaged. 

Struggling our way across the downed tree on the bridge. We have done this kind of "climbing" often, but this was one of the most difficult. 

Another large tree lies across the trail next to the bridge. 

After successfully navigating the downed trees across the path, we continued on along the river toward the old mill. 

Near the old mill (Mulino del Daniello) we found a perfect spot for our picnic lunch at 11:30

There was the smallest of waterfalls here next to the picnic area. 

The trail then continues past the old mill, where a private event was taking place (Lots of grilling... it sure smelled good!)

Just a couple of cows in the pasture, observing us very carefully because there was a little one there. 

Details of the old mill. Along the way through the park there were information placards, such as this one concerning the history of the mill. This old mill called "Mulino del Daniello" was built in 1801. 

After a short section on a paved road, the dirt path continues along the river. 

This looks so pretty, a thick carpet of bear garlic covering the forest floor, and it sure smelled good!

Now starts that time of year when we see cows out in the pastures! (So far in the south, anyway). 

In all, the trail through the Valle della Motta is three kilometers long. 

There were lots of bridges to cross!

Then we came across another section with trees across the trail. These were a little easier to cross!

All along the trail are information panels with topics such as Vegetation, Reptiles, Birds, Geology. Near here on the east side of the park you can take a detour to an excavation where they have found prehistoric fossils. We did not make the detour this time, as we had done a short section of this trail once before in February 2023. 

This trail through the Valle della Motta is also part of the National Trail no.7, a 330-km themed trail across Switzerland from Basel to Chiasso, of which we have done many sections to date. 

At the entrance of the park is a map and description. 

The following section toward the Italian border—still along the Via Gottardo Trail—was a long stretch along an industrial district. 

We are now headed toward that hill, where we will walk along the northern flank, about 70 meters higher than the valley bottom. On the other side of the hill is the southernmost point in the country. And at the top of the hill is a church building which we walked up to on our hike to that southernmost point in July of 2017. 

This is the final stretch of the Via Gottardo Trail, ending in Chiasso. On this day we did not go into the old town of Mendrisio, as we discovered that on a hike we did in March 2019. Also, even though we did a hike to the southernmost part of the country in July 2017, we did not follow the Via Gottardo trail at the time. 

The freshly greening willow trees are the prettiest right now. 

Not a particularly interesting photo, except that we are now standing exactly on the border with Italy. i.e. the river is in Switzerland, but everything on the other side of the fence is in Italy. This is looking directly east.

There is Urs in the mirror! That building is in Italy, and on the other side is the customs building where you cross into Italy. At this point you could say we are standing SOUTH of Italy. 

Finally, a blossoming tree. (From here, going uphill, we have left the Via Gottardo Trail again.) 

It is about this level where we continued our walk towards Chiasso. To the north now we can see all the vineyards of the lower Mendrisiotto region. The mountain at the back is Monte San Giorgio, another of Switzerland's UNESCO Heritage Sites, and a summit we once climbed to in March of 2023.

It turns out there were a few wooded sculptures along this trail as well!

Now a view over the very large cargo railway station in Chiasso, and across the city to the mountain village of Sagno. The forested hillside to the right is in Italy—leading down to Lake Como—as is the highest peak above Sagno, called Monte Bisbino. 

Close-up view of the mountain village of Sagno on the opposite side of Chiasso. The summit with the large church is in Italy (Monte Bisbino), and we hiked from Sagno to that summit in August 2023. 

A pleasant Sunday afternoon walk on the hillside above the city of Chiasso in the very southern part of Switzerland. 

This old wooden bridge across a small ravine was the most exciting part of our walk!

Another wooden sculpture, just before our final descent to the train station at Chiasso. 

Final stretch to the train station in Chiasso. It was now 14:27 and we really wanted to catch the 14:34 train. It was still a detour to get the train station, and we were just headed up the stairs as the clock turne 14:34, but they hadn't locked the train doors yet, so we just made it. As this is the border train station and the police are very vigilant here, the urban train often leaves with a couple of minutes' delay. 

What our hike from Mendrisio to Chiasso looks like on Google Satellite Maps. This is the very southernmost part of Switzerland and very near the border of Italy. (In fact, at one point we were right at the border). From here the train crosses the border from Chiasso to Como. 

These are all the hikes we have done in the southernmost part of Switzerland. This region is called the Mendrisiotto, and is actually a large wine-producing region.  

Location of Mendrisio and Chiasso in Switzerland. This is the southernmost part of Switzerland. 

This is what it still looks like north of the Gotthard tunnel (This is a photo of the Fronalpstock peak in Canton Schwyz near Brunnen, in the morning on our way down).