Premier Giorgia Meloni on Monday greeted UK counterpart Keir Starmer with an honour guard at the start of his first official visit to Rome, during which Starmer wants to see if the UK can learn from Italy's recent success in stemming migration to its shores.
Meloni and Starmer were set to hold closed-door talks at Rome's Villa Pamphili and have a working lunch followed by a joint press conference.
How the UK may be able to learn from Italy, including its work with migrants' home and transit countries - will top the agenda at the talks between the two leaders.
Italy is the European Union member which receives the highest number of migrant arrivals, but which has recently seen a dramatic fall.
The EU’s border force Frontex has calculated a 64 percent drop this year in those making the perilous crossing from north Africa to Italy.
Starmer has voiced interest the two controversial reception centres Italy is building in neighbouring Albania. Both centres are due to open later this year after delays. Funded and managed by Italy, each could hold up to 36,000 asylum-seekers a year while their claims are processed, with unsuccessful migrants facing deportation.
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