Malcantone Turismo

History The origins of the name Malcantone (meaning literally the Bad Canton) is uncertain, but there are three different theories: in the first it is assumed that it is derived from the Latin words "Malus Angulus", or "Bad Corner", an expression coined by the Bishop of Como who made a pastoral visit, to characterize a region in which the parishioners were not the most devote and showed reticence about paying the tithe.
A second speculation is based on the large number of forges and mills, thus believing that the word "Mal" was derived from the German word "Mahlen", meaning to grind.
The name Malcantone was coined around 1500 by the confederate regents. Finally Malcantone should also mean treacherous place, since it was a haven for soldiers, deserters, bandits, bootleggers and fugitives, since it is geographical border made it an obligatory crossing point for armies of invaders and barbarians that came from the north to enter into Lombardy.
The topographical map made of the Lake of Lugano, drawn between 1712 and 1721, was the also the first official document in which the name Mal Cantone was mentioned.