The civic coat of arms of Morciano di Leuca has a white background and it represents a fortress. In the past a lot of people of the near casali used to keep their goods here, so the toponym might derive from the Latin "merx mercis", meaning a place where to keep the goods. Nevertheless some historians advocate that the first village was founded after the destruction of the near casale of Vereto in the IX century, that was attacked by the terrible Saracens coming from northern Africa. Probably these refugees were attracted by the good climate and  the fertility of the lands.  The first historical news about this village are dated 1190, when the Norman king Tancredi of Altavilla gave the feud to Sinibaldo Sambiasi. When Tancredi died in 1194, the Swabians took over and governed  until  1266. Later it wa governed by the Angevins and in the XIII century by Riccardo de Murchano.  In the XIV century the feud was divided into three parts ruled by Peregrino De Murchano, Rinaldo Sambiasi and  the Sangiorgio family. The  feud was unified and given to Gualtiero IV of Brienne, feudal vassal of Florence and Duke of Athens. He was succeeded by the Capece family. In the XV century the centre had acquired from the Antoglietta and, in succession, from the Sambiasi. The XVI century was a terrible period because  Morciano and other villages of the Salento were invaded by the Algerians, the  Saracens and the Turks. The most terrible attack was that of the  pirate Ariadeno Barbarossa , who in 1537conquered several  villages along the coast, including Morciano. Also his wicked  child Dragut was  a fierce pirate as his father. The last vassals were the Castromedianos and during their domination Morciano became a Dukedom (1642). They governed until  1806.  Morciano di Leuca was first a frazione of Patù, and only in  1849 it became a commune. One of the most important local people is Angelo Fusco: he lived  in the XVII century and  was a good priest and an appreciated theologian. He also became Canon regular at the cathedral of Lecce. Francesco Carbone lived  in the XVI century and, after graduating at the University of Padua he became a brilliant doctor and even  the Viceroy of Naples asked him to work at his Court. Nicola Angelo De Blasio graduated in Law and became an excellent lawyer. He wrote many works  and the most important is a treatise on the Roman Law. Angelo Thio was born in 1519 and he studied at Padua University where he became an appreciated philosopher and taught. He died when he was only 40 years old because of a terrible illness. Giovanni Andrea De Ippolitis was an appreciated physician, very famous in all the Salento. He died in the XVII after writing several scientific works.

Special Thank to Diving Service (Morciano di Leuca) for their kind collaboration.