Campione d'Italia
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Italian comune Campione d'Italia ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; Template:Langx {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (municipality) of the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy. Located on the shores of Lake Lugano, it is an enclave surrounded by the Swiss canton of Ticino. At its closest, the enclave is less than Template:Convert from the rest of Italy, but the intervening mountainous terrain requires a journey by road through the Swiss village of Bissone of over Template:Convert to reach the nearest Italian town, Lanzo d'Intelvi, and over Template:Convert to reach the city of Como. The commune's population was 1,748 in 2021.
HistoryEdit
In the first century BC, the Romans founded the garrison town of Campilonum to protect their territories from Helvetii invasions.<ref name="Borderlines">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 777, Toto of Campione, a local Lombard lord, left his inheritance to the archbishopric of Milan. Ownership was transferred to the abbey of Sant’Ambrogio. In 1512, the surrounding area of Ticino was transferred from the ownership of the bishop of Como to Switzerland by Pope Julius II, as thanks for the support in the War of the Holy League. However, the abbey maintained control over what is now Campione d'Italia and some territory on the western bank of Lake Lugano.<ref name=" Borderlines"/>
When Ticino chose to become part of the Swiss Confederation in 1798, the people of Campione chose to remain part of the Cisalpine Republic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1800, Ticino proposed exchanging Indemini for Campione. In 1814 a referendum was held, and the residents of Campione opposed it. In 1848, during the First Italian War of Independence, Campione petitioned Switzerland for annexation.Template:Citation needed This was rejected due to the Swiss desire for neutrality.<ref name="Borderlines"/>
After Italian unification in 1861, all land west of Lake Lugano and half of the lake were given to Switzerland so that Swiss trade and transport would not have to pass through Italy. The d'Italia was added to the name of Campione in the 1930s by the regime of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, making the name translatable to "Champion of Italy", and an ornamental gate to the village was built. This was to assert the enclave's Italian character.<ref name="Borderlines"/>
During World War II, the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS – the precursor to the CIA), partly through Berne OSS chief Allen Welsh Dulles, maintained a unit in Campione for operations in Italy.<ref name="nytehs"/> At the time the Italian fascist regime did not have control over the enclave. The Swiss ignored the situation as long as the Americans kept a low profile. Postage stamps were issued during this period inscribed "Campione d'Italia" and valued in Swiss currency.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
DemographyEdit
The population of the enclave according to the Italian census was:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Historical populations
Economy and administrationEdit
Campione has had a considerable amount of economic and administrative integration with Switzerland, but against the wishes of its residents,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> it formally became part of the EU customs territory on 1 January 2020.<ref name=customs>European Sources Online Directive (EU) 2019/475 amending Directives 2006/112/EC and 2008/118/EC as regards the inclusion of the Italian municipality of Campione d’Italia and the Italian waters of Lake Lugano in the customs territory of the Union</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> VAT will apply, but the tax rate will remain that of Switzerland (much lower than that of Italy). A border crossing will be established.<ref name="Euronews">Tiny Italian enclave in Switzerland transferred back to Italy and the EU's customs union, Euronews, 3 January 2020</ref>
Prior to that time, it was de facto in the customs territory of Switzerland, meaning most of the public services were carried out by Swiss providers, such as refuse collection, telecommunications, and vehicle registration.<ref>A tiny Italian exclave unwillingly joins the EU’s customs union, The Economist, 2 January 2020</ref> The enclave enjoyed considerable tax breaks and was exempt from VAT. Campione d'Italia was one of four Italian cities issued a casino licence and took advantage of this by operating the Casinò di Campione, as gambling laws are less strict than in either Italy or Switzerland; also a legacy of the pre-World War II era. Although (as part of Italy) the euro is formally the only legal tender, in practice the main operating currency in the commune has been the Swiss franc,<ref name=miralux>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=carbone>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref> but euros are widely accepted.<ref name=miralux /> Salaries are paid in Swiss francs.<ref name=carbone />
Pursuant to bilateral agreements, Italians residing in Campione also benefit from many services and facilities located in Swiss territory, such as hospital care, that would otherwise be available only to Swiss residents.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> People working in Campione but living in Switzerland have access to Swiss unemployment and other state help, which does not apply to those living within Campione village limits, which is legally Italy.<ref name="crisis">Template:Cite news</ref>
Firefighters and ambulances are provided by the Swiss authorities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, security is provided by the Carabinieri (Italian military police) and the village also has a Polizia Locale group.<ref>Campione d’Italia: il Generale Maruccia in visita al nucleo Carabinieri di Campione d’Italia, Comozero, 8 February 2019</ref>
Previously, mail could be sent to Campione using either a Swiss postal code (CH-6911) or an Italian one (IT-22061) via Switzerland or Italy, but the Swiss postal code has ceased to be valid, with mail instead being charged at the same international rate as that between Switzerland and Italy.<ref>Campione d’Italia entra nello spazio doganale europeo, Swiss Post, 31 December 2019</ref> Consequently, all mail is now processed and delivered by Poste Italiane, not La Posta Svizzera.<ref>Italy and Switzerland – Customs territory of Campione d'Italia, Asendia, 23 December 2019</ref> The telephone system remains Swiss, meaning that calls from Italy and all other countries outside Switzerland require the international dialling code for Switzerland, +41, with the exception of the town hall, which can be reached using the code for Italy, +39.<ref name="comune">Telefono e posta elettronica, Comune di Campione d’Italia (CO)</ref>
Similarly, motor vehicles, which used Ticino registration plates, were no longer allowed to do so, or to be insured in Switzerland.<ref>Campione, niente targhe svizzere dal 1° gennaio, La Regione, 29 September 2019</ref><ref>Swiss Talk of Annexing Italy’s Former CIA Spy Nest Roils Rome, Bloomberg, October 15, 2019</ref> Instead, they were required to be registered in Como.<ref>Altra beffa per Campione d’Italia, chiude l’ufficio postale svizzero: una conseguenza dell’ingresso nell’area Ue Template:Webarchive, Corriere di Como, 18 November 2019</ref> However, electricity has always been supplied from Italy.<ref name=carbone />
Casinò di CampioneEdit
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The Casinò di Campione is the largest employer in the municipality. The casino was founded in 1917. It is owned by the Italian government and operated by the municipality. Template:As of, the income from the casino was sufficient for the operation of Campione without the imposition of taxes, or obtaining of other revenue.<ref name=nytehs>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is Europe's largest casino.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The casino was declared bankrupt on 27 July 2018 and then closed. The economic impact of the closure was a threat to the entire village, with everything from pizzeria owners and taxi drivers to the municipal fire department on the list of creditors. Locals feared that without the casino, the commune would become a ghost town.<ref name="crisis"/> Under the customs deal of 2020 Italy agreed to settle debts to Swiss creditors estimated at nearly €5 million.<ref name="Euronews"/> The casino re-opened on 26 January 2022.<ref name="QuiComo 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
EducationEdit
Schools within the comune are the Scuola Materna G. Garibaldi, the Scuola Elementare, and the Scuola Media.<ref name="scuole">Numeri Utili." (Archive) Campione d'Italia. Retrieved on 14 November 2013.</ref>
SportsEdit
AP Campionese is a football club based in Campione d'Italia. The club plays in the Swiss football league system.
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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- European Court of Human Rights: Nada v. Switzerland 10593/08