In the first century BC, the Romans founded the garrison town of Campilonum to protect their territories from Helvetii invasions.

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.

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.

Postage stamps were issued during this period inscribed "Campione d'Italia" and valued in Swiss currency.

[6] The population of the enclave according to the Italian Census was:[7] Campione has had a considerable amount of economic and administrative integration with Switzerland, but against the wishes of its residents,[8][9][10] it formally became part of the EU customs territory on 1 January 2020.

[14] 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.

[20] However, security is provided by the Carabinieri (Italian military police) and the village also has a Polizia Locale group.

The economic impact 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.

[19] Under the customs deal of 2020 Italy agreed to settle debts to Swiss creditors estimated at nearly €5 million.