Italy will be home to a number of festive markets including spectacles in Rome, Milan, Bolzano, and Florence. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated its travel warnings to coincide with the busy Christmas market period.
Officials have issued similar statements for all European countries where Christmas markets are popular. βThere is a general threat from terrorism. There may be increased security in place over the festive period, including at Christmas markets and other major events that might attract large crowds. βYou should remain vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities. βTerrorist attacks in Italy canβt be ruled out.β
βThere are isolated cases of domestic terrorism. Attacks carried out by the extreme left-wing and secessionist groups have generally been aimed at official Italian targets, mainly in the form of small bombs and incendiary devices. The level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service (MI5) using national security information. They do not have an expiry date and can change at any time. Low means an attack is highly unlikely. Moderate means an attack is possible but not likely. Substantial means an attack is likely. Severe means an attack is highly likely.
Critical means an attack is highly likely in the near future.
Carnival (or βCarnevaleβ) is one of the biggest celebrations in Italy β and from the Venetian masks to masquerade balls, no place does it like Venice!