Why has the US increased its travel warning for Italy?
As millions of Americans prepared to travel abroad this Memorial Day weekend, the US State Department increased its travel advisory warning level for Italy from one to two due to the 'risk of terrorism'.
The US travel safety rating system for other countries ranges from level one ("exercise normal precautions") to level four ("avoid all travel").
The State Department website did not specify why the advisory level for Italy had been raised at this time, and no details about a specific terror threat were given.
There have been no recent terrorism-related incidents reported in Italy.
It gave a list of public places to avoid where possible, including 'tourist spots' and 'religious sites'.
Visitors to Italy were advised to 'stay alert', 'check local media for breaking news", and see the State Department's website for further information on staying safe while traveling.
Other popular European destinations have long been under a US level two advisory for potential terrorist activity, including the UK and France.
Experts have suggested that Italy has long been able to prevent such attacks partly due to lessons learned from anti-mafia policing, and that it also has a lower number of citizens at risk of radicalisation than countries like the UK or France - and therefore fewer suspects to watch.
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