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Chiasso
Chiasso
Canton	Ticino
District	Mendrisio
	45°50′N 9°02′E / 45.833°N 9.033°ECoordinates: 45°50′N 9°02′E / 45.833°N 9.033°E
Population	7,992 (December 2002)
- Density	1,508 /km2 (3,906 /sq mi)
Area	5.3 km2 (2.0 sq mi)
Elevation	230 m (755 ft)
Postal code	6830
SFOS number	5250
Mayor	Claudio Moro
Surrounded by	Balerna, Cavallasca (IT-CO), Como (IT-CO), Drezzo (IT-CO), Morbio Inferiore, Novazzano, Parè (IT-CO), Ronago (IT-CO), Vacallo
Website	www.chiasso.ch; Profile (Italian), SFSO statistics
; Chiasso

Chiasso (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkjasːo], or commonly [ˈkjaso]; in Lombard: Ciass [tʃas]) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is located at the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso (a Frazione of Como, Italy). The municipality of Chiasso includes the villages of Boffalora, Pedrinate and Seseglio.

In 2007, the three mayors of Chiasso, Vacallo and Morbio Inferiore decided to unite into one commune. The new united commune with a population of approximately 15,300 people over a territory of 9.2 km², has been refused by the population in November 2007.

[edit] Chiasso (and Boffalora)

Customs at Chiasso towards Italy: Switzerland ends at the end of the foreground grey zone.

Historically, Chiasso and Boffalora were two distinct agricultural villages. Because of the presence of the nearby Italian border and customs office, and later as part of an access route to the St. Gotthard's Tunnel, the two villages merged and grew.

A large part of the town is devoted to the international rail station and related customs (although some of the border-control responsibilities have been moved to Como, in Italy). There is also a sizeable customs area for traffic passing by road and motorway (both commercial and non-commercial vehicles).

Chiasso offers also a lot of customs related services. A considerable source of revenue for the town is derived from Italians crossing the border to purchase certain goods more cheaply in Switzerland, particularly cigarettes and petrol. It also functions as a banking centre for Italian clients wishing to keep money within the Swiss banking system.

[edit] The pedestrian zone

In the period of years from 2001 to 2005 a new pedestrian zone has been created, from customs to the municipality building. An enlargement of this zone has been put on the agenda by the local administration, but a referendum about this issue is scheduled on 24 September 2006.

[edit] Pedrinate

Pedrinate municipality was aggregated in the Chiasso municipality in 1975, along with Seseglio. It is located above Chiasso, on the Penz hill. Pedrinate is the most southern village of Switzerland. Around Pedrinate there are some vineyards.

[edit] Seseglio

Seseglio is on northern boundary of Chiasso municipality.

[edit] Traffic

The fortune of Chiasso is mostly linked to its location on the A2; the main route to St. Gotthard's Tunnel, which connects the Southern Alps and Italy with the northern part of Switzerland and Germany.

The A2 Swiss motorway begins at Chiasso. Long traffic queues frequently occur on the motorway around the border where vehicles are being checked for contraband.