banking machines in Italy

I've been to all 3 towns you mention. Each has several ATMs. In fact in Monterosso they have one right in the stairway of the train station.

edit: it was a few years ago that I was in Cortona so I don't remember the name of the place, but there was a hotel with a fantastic balcony overlooking the valley. It was right near the entrance to town. I highly recommend a glass of wine watching the sunset there!

Expect cash machines in every town. Remember your bank has maximum daily withdrawel amounts from the ATM. Find out your bank's limit before you leave so you can plan your cash needs.

Remember some of the cash machines in small towns cease to operate after 7 p.m. give or take a couple hours. Also be sure to notify your bank of your travel plans so you don't have a security hold put on your account. I get my maximum dollar amount upped for the duration of my trip(s) with no hassle so you can ask about that when you call the bank to notify them of your travel plans (ditto for your credit cards). I know it's been posted before but again, you must have a 4 digit pin and it should be connected to your checking not savings account. Also, you should know the pin for your credit cards as well. Needed a pin to use my credit card at a gas station in Austria last year.

All of the above is good information. Just remember that once you make a daily withdrawl, it could be up to 24 hours before you can make the next one. The big hint here is to take a second ATM card to a different account. We have both a WAMU card and a BofA card. The WAMU card had lower total fees but the BofA card was pressed into action in a few places as we needed a bit more cash.

Bobbie,
See http://visa.via.infonow.net/usa_atm/
or
http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/cardholderservices/atmlocations/index.html

Hey Bobbie. Greetings from Meteghan NS. We went to Italy this May and had much the same concerns, but it worked out fine. We used a Credit Union bank card all over the place. Even the smallest places had bancomats. It was never a problem and we hit smaller places than the one's you're describing. We did make a habbit of having a couple of days cash in advance, but it was never an issue getting cash in Cinque Terre, Tuscanny or anywhere else. And we paid cash for 20 nights of hotels, so I know what you mean! Relax and enjoy!

Hi, I have been to Monterosso and Cortona. In Monterosso the ATM is next to the Train station and In Cortona it is where the information booth is on Nationale Street (main street) I have not been to Positano but I am sure that there is one there also.

Bobbie,

I don't think you'll have any problem finding ATM's / Bancomats in most places in Italy. I certainly haven't had any problems with that so far.

I can't recall the exact location of the ATM in Monterosso al Mare, but I'm sure there are several as tiny Riomaggiore had at least two or three (Banks right across from the train station).

In Positano (which is not exactly a "small town") I'm sure you won't have any trouble either. I believe there's a Bank just up the street from Hotel Savoie, on the same side of the street. There's some down by the harbour also, from what I recall.

In Cortona you might try the BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA on Via Nazionale. There are undoubtedly others.

You might want to check with your financial institution regarding your daily withdrawal limit, as the currency exchange will be factored into the amount. For example, if you have a daily limit of Cdn$500, that will only give you about €300 per day. Most financial institutions will allow an increase for a specified duration.

Also, it's a good idea to let them know that you'll be travelling, so they don't "flag" your card when they see it on networks in Italy. Finally, your funds must be in a Chequing account with a four number PIN.

Be sure to wear your Money Belts and hope you have a great time in Italy!

Buon Viaggio!

Bobbie, in addition to the excellent advice already noted, you should check and see if your bank has a partner bank in Italy. For example, Bank of America is partnered with Banca Antoniana, from whose ATMs one can obtain US $1000 worth of euros per day. Other ATMs have a preset limit, usually 250 euros per day which isn't much if you have a cash lodging payment looming on, say, day 2 of your trip. Regardless of your efforts to arrange for your OWN bank to increase your daily cash limit, this won't override the daily limit for Italian ATMs not financially aligned with your bank.

Neil,
Your information is incorrect. Bankomats have a transaction limit, the amount it will dispense at one time. Your bank imposes a daily limit. If your daily limit exceeds the transaction limit you can perform another transaction.

I have had SOOO many replies on here,so much great advice-THANK YOU to everyone who answered my question,your advice is very helpful.

Bobbie

Henry, you may be right and you may have been able to make multiple transactions from one ATM, but I was not successful doing this in Rome last summer as all the ATMs denied my second cash withdrawal attempt. My point is merely that if one takes the time to do a little research to see if a partner bank is available, only one transaction is necessary.

Neil,
My point was the bankomat works the same for everyone, the network rules require it (Visa - Plus, Mastercard - Cirrus). If you could get 500 euro at one time with your card then I could get it with my card.
The only thing 'partner' banks affects is how much your own bank is charging.