In recent years, the Lombardy capital has clearly chosen its side: attractiveness. Favorable taxation, targeted policies, and a powerful narrative. The result is clear for all to see. Capital, entrepreneurs, and assets are moving. It's not a coincidence, but a very specific strategy.
Milan has decided to make itself desirable to those with significant investments. The so-called "Decree" for wealthy new residents wasn't just a tax measure. It was a message: you're welcome here.
Como, too, is capitalizing on the opportunities offered by events in Engadine to strengthen its tourist appeal, while Ticino often remains on the sidelines.
The fact remains that Italy is pursuing its own interests and never misses an opportunity to strengthen its narrative.
In recent weeks, for example, the Crans-Montana affair has been used by many as a pretext to question administrative efficiency and even the Swiss security system. These criticisms, while perhaps instrumental, have been effective in terms of communication.
We react slowly, when we react at all. While in Milan they're building an ecosystem to attract wealth, in Ticino we get lost in fruitless debates. We talk a lot but decide little. And above all, we fail to develop equally competitive fiscal and communication policies.
The paradox is clear. We complain about Italian competition, but we don't deploy the tools to counter it. We criticize others' attractiveness, but we don't invest in our own. And then, almost without realizing it, we ourselves fuel the very system we claim to endure.
The queues heading south aren't just weekend traffic. They're a warning. Ticinese who go shopping in Italy choose Italian restaurants and spend elsewhere what could stay here. Money goes out, value doesn't return.
It's not Italy that's the problem, it's Ticino that isn't doing the same. We remain stuck debating principles, perceptions, rivalries, without a vision. Without a strategy. There's no need to get indignantWe need to decide.
Because in the world of global competition, it's not the one who criticizes the most who wins. The one who acts first wins.
Italian cuisine in Switzerland, the future speaks young: Luca Giacchetti wins in Lugano.
