Yes, I had been on the Italian side of Ponte Tresa in the last days of the Lira for half a day, and things were considerably cheaper than accross the bridge on the Swiss side. But when I a few years later, came to Ponte Tresa /It. again, I realized that the price level had become "helvetised". No problem for me, but for the locals it must have been rather disastrous. Only mellowed by the fact no longer to get some sweets but real money as return-money And that people no longer needed carrier-bags to get the money around, but could do with a nice small "portemonnaie" . Disadvantage: the nice tradition to put a 1000 Lire banknote under the too short leg of the table and then take it back when leaving for sure died away