South of Lugano, main roads and trains shoot through the hot, dry region known as the Mendrisiotto, after Mendrisio, largest town in the area and a major wine-growing centre. Six kilometres on, and 23km south of Lugano, the Italian frontier is marked by Chiasso, a particularly unprepossessing border town, with a gigantic train station on the edge of a desultory town centre and swarms of motorized and foot traffic passing through during the morning and evening rush hours. The Italian city of Como is 5km beyond the border; Milan is 30km further.