campione

Campione is an Italian noun with several related meanings. Most commonly, it denotes a champion or winner of a contest or competition. In sports and other competitive contexts, a person who holds a title may be referred to as il campione. The feminine form is campionessa, and the plural forms are campioni (masculine) and campionesse (feminine). In addition to this sense, campione also means a sample or specimen, especially a quantity taken for testing, inspection, or analysis. In scientific, industrial, and statistical language, it is used for terms such as campione casuale or campione di prodotto.

Geographically, Campione d’Italia refers to a comune in northern Italy. It is an Italian exclave entirely surrounded by Swiss territory, located near Lake Lugano. Administratively it belongs to the Province of Como in the Lombardy region. Despite its geographic separation from the Italian mainland, it remains part of Italian political and administrative structures and maintains local governance as a municipality.

The term campione thus covers both general linguistic uses—champion and sample—as well as a notable proper noun connected to a small Italian enclave. In everyday language, context usually clarifies whether campione means a winner or a sample, while Campione d’Italia identifies the enclave municipality in Lombardy.