Some of the smaller ones you just drive or walk through, sometimes they are not even maned. The one at the autobahn, has sort of a custom control, but usually they just wave you through. I can not remember the last time I have been checked.
The French look at you severely, but wave you through most of the time also and again smaller crossings are most of the time not manned.
Maybe Italy just needs to find jobs for the border police and the Swiss border is the last remaining land border that can be manned. We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo
up to a short while ago, traveling to Italy through the Great St.Bernhard has been easy,
As for blocking illegal exportation of capital such as mafia laundering or Berlusconi shadey deals, it's usually left to police intelligence.
