A graduate of the University of Genoa and the École Polytechnique in Paris, Botto became professor of physics at the University of Turin in 1828. An architect and captain in the Engineers, he took part in the anti-Austrian uprising of 1821 in Alessandria. In Turin, he conducted extensive research on induction and on the chemical, thermal, and magnetic phenomena caused by electrical currents. Studied electrical machines to improve their efficiency and worked on electric motors and telegraphy.