Vacallo travel guide

Vacallo is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.
The current population is nearly 3,000 people. The coat of arms of Vacallo is a V with three bunches of grapes. Each bunch of grapes symbolises the three parishes or 'frazione' of the commune, including San Simone.
A plaque commemorates the fact that Giacomo Puccini stayed in Vacallo between 1889 and 1892 and composed the second act of Manon Lescaut here. Other visitors include Ruggero Leoncavallo and the local celebrity Luigi Pagani, also known as Mattirolo or Matiröö. Vacallo is also known for its basketball team, which has won multiple national titles.
In 2007, the three mayors of Chiasso, Vacallo and Morbio Inferiore decided to unite into one commune. In return for losing independance, the commune will gain access to more services, such as retirement homes in the surrounding areas. The new commune will have a population of approximately 15,300 people over a territory of 9.2 km squared. But in november 2007, the population of the tree cummunes, voted against this proposal. (...) more....