Morecote is a Swiss village with a sublime lakeside setting

West Australian

2 days ago

Morcote was once feted as 'the most beautiful village of Switzerland'.
It won the award in a competition run by a popular Swiss magazine, Schweizer Illustrierte, in partnership with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Almost a decade has passed since that accolade, but Morcote remains as picturesque and telegenic as you'd hope.
It hugs Lake Lugano in the canton of Ticino, where southern Switzerland faces northern Italy.
The nicest way to arrive in Morcote is by boat from Lugano city. It takes just half-an-hour, but there are only a few services per day, and I've missed the latest one, so I travel here instead with a combination of train and bus.
If that sounds a hassle, believe me, in Switzerland, where the public transport network runs like clockwork 99.5 per cent of the time, it really isn't.
About 40 minutes after departing Lugano, I'm walking by the shores of the lake in Morcote, where little wooden boats are bobbing in the water and couples are enjoying coffee, drinks and long, leisurely lunches outside the bars and eateries of the curving main street-cum-promenade.
By these pastel-shaded arcaded buildings, stairways and lanes wind up into Morcote's well-preserved medieval core, where the bulk of the village's 3500 population reside.
Further up on the hillside is the Church of Santa Maria del Sasso, a beautiful piece of gothic architecture from the 14th century. A lookout with benches above the church has terrific views over the bell tower and the lake, while a few Italian villages catch the eye across the water.
In the Middle Ages, Morcote was a busy harbour and a loading point for goods destined for Milanese dukes.
You can continue hiking upwards from the village, with this path connected to others on Ticino's network of trails (look out for the yellow signposts).
But after you've caught your breath, I'd advise you to walk back past the church and down to Morcote's main street, just above which you'll find Parco Scherrer, one of Switzerland's most eclectic gardens. It was established by wealthy merchant Hermann Arthur Scherrer (1881-1956), who earned his fortune in the textile industry in St Gallen in northern Switzerland and splashed out indulging his twin passions for arts and travel.
Parco Scherrer is set over terraced levels with whimsical artworks and follies surrounded by pools and fountains and an exotic flurry of trees and plants, including palms, pines, camellias, wisteria, oleander, cypresses, camphor, bamboo and eucalyptus. Labelled a 'Garden of Wonders', the park welcomed its first visitors in 1965 and is still free to enter.
Some parts feel more Mediterranean, others from further afield. One moment you're standing by classical-style columns, the kind you'd find at a Greek or Roman temple, the next you're by a Middle Eastern-inspired house or perusing sculptures of Thai elephants or scantily-clad African women amid the foliage.
The views of the lake enhance this garden's charm and I'm fortunate to have the place more or less to myself late on this spring afternoon. In summer, I could imagine it would feel a lot more crowded — and not quite as blissful.
+ Steve McKenna was a guest of Ticino Tourism and Switzerland Tourism. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.
+ For more information on visiting Morcote, see
morcoteturismo.ch
+ To help plan a trip to Ticino and Switzerland, see
ticino.ch
and
myswitzerland.com