![Swiss border guards in action. Ticino 1946.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/titel-schmuggel-neu-300x225.jpg)
Escape to Switzerland
Smuggling activity at Switzerland’s southern border increased again in summer 1943. In addition to goods, more and more refugees were smuggled into Switzerland.
![Staged arrest of two smugglers in Ticino, probably circa late 1940s.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/schmuggler-verhaftung-259x300.jpg)
![The Duke of the Mountains: portrait of Clemente Malacrida, nicknamed “Il Ment”.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/herzog-der-berge-229x300.jpg)
![1934 arrest warrant for Clemente Malacrida.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/haftbefehl-herzog-e1653921998490-223x300.jpg)
![The border post at Caprino. Today, the Swiss Customs Museum is housed here.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/museum-1-300x210.jpg)
![Ornella Ottolenghi’s data record for a Swiss refugee identity certificate, 1943.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/fluchtlingsantrag-219x300.jpg)
Countess of fashion
![Countess Wally Castelbarco, 1931.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/grafin-portrat-232x300.jpg)
A smuggler’s paradise
The Swiss Customs Museum, which occupies an idyllic spot on Lake Lugano, is only accessible by boat or a long walk and is a wonderful option for a family day out. Entry to the museum is free. After visiting the museum, you can go for a wonderful meal inside one of the two scenic grottos, picnic in the area around the museum, or enjoy a refreshing dip in the sea. Afterwards, the boat trip across to Gandria on the opposite side takes only a few minutes.
The special exhibition, which is entitled “A border between poverty and persecution”, shines a light on smuggling activities along the southern border during the Second World War. A particular highlight of the exhibition is the collection of moving stories of famous and less well-known refugees who managed to cross over the border into Switzerland from Italy via the Cantine di Gandria during the war years.