Morcote is a village overlooking Lake Ceresio and has been nicknamed ‘the pearl of the Ceresio’ for its obvious beauty and elegance. The narrow lanes of the village, the lakeside promenade and the ascent to the church of Santa Maria are just some of the beauties of this village.

The name Morcote has ancient origins and is derived from the Proto-Latin word Mora, meaning ‘stony area’, and Caput, meaning the highest point or end of something. The expression Morae Caput translates as ‘tip of the mountain’ or ‘end of the rock’, referring to the position of the peninsula. The first mention of an inhabitant of Morcote dates back to 926, with the term Habitator in Murcau. In its heyday, the village of Morcote was shaped like an amphitheatre and stretched from Vico Morcote to Porto Ceresio, then called Porto Morcote. Until 1847, when the Melide dam was built, Morcote was a vital trading centre and the main port on the Ceresio, where goods and people were traded. Barges plied the waters between Morcote and Porto Morcote, connecting the region with cities such as Varese, Como and Milan. In 1412, the people of Morcote obtained privileges from the Dukes of Milan that gave the village considerable autonomy, allowing the inhabitants to govern themselves. Among the rights obtained was the possibility to sell fish in Milan without paying tolls and to fish in the Gulf of Porto Morcote. After the plague, the village saw the emergence of numerous illustrious families who contributed to European culture in various fields: engineering, architecture, painting, sculpture, medicine and science. Thanks to these illustrious inhabitants, Morcote became not only a commercial centre, but also a cultural reference point, with a significant impact on the intellectual and artistic scene of the time.