Postage stamps were issued during this period inscribed 'Campione d'Italia' and valued in Swiss currency. The Swiss ignored the situation as long as the Americans kept a low profile. At the time the Italian fascist regime did not have control over the enclave. ĭuring 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. This was to assert the enclave's Italian character. The d'Italia was added to the name of Campione in the 1930s by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and an ornamental gate to the village was built. Īfter 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. This was rejected due to the Swiss desire for neutrality. In 1848, during the wars of Italian unification, Campione petitioned Switzerland for annexation. In 1814 a referendum was held, and the residents of Campione opposed it. In 1800, Ticino proposed exchanging Indemini for Campione. When Ticino chose to become part of the Swiss Confederation in 1798, the people of Campione chose to remain part of Lombardy.

However, the abbey maintained control over what is now Campione d'Italia and some territory on the western bank of Lake Lugano. 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. Ownership was transferred to the abbey of Sant’Ambrogio. In 777, Toto of Campione, a local Lombard lord, left his inheritance to the archbishopric of Milan. In the first century BC the Romans founded the garrison town of Campilonum to protect their territories from Helvetii invasions. History Map showing the location of the Campione enclave near the centre. At its closest, the enclave is less than one kilometre (0.6 mi) from the rest of Italy, but the intervening mountainous terrain requires a journey by road through the Swiss village of Bissone of over 14 km (9 mi) to reach the nearest Italian town, Lanzo d'Intelvi, and over 28 km (17 mi) to reach the city of Como. Campione d'Italia (Italian pronunciation: ), ( Comasco: Campiùn, pronounced ) is a comune of the Province of Como in the Lombardy region of Italy and an enclave surrounded by the Swiss canton of Ticino.

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