ATM cards in Italy

Do a quick search on this site and you will find this subject discuss daily. Short answer -- Plus and Cirrus. I use Capital One if I need a credit card but use cash most of the time

Patti,
See http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange

Don't forget to call your credit card or ATM card company to activate them in Europe. Usually you have to do it before you leave.

Cap One for credit card. No foreign transaction fees BUT if you take a cash advance a pretty good fee on that. I have a BofA ATM card, fees are about $9 per withdrawel but only use it in a pinch. Come over with some Euro already in your pocket.

Make certain that you contact your bank and credit card companies' SECURITY DEPARTMENTS to let them know that you will be using your ATM/Credit Cards overseas. Don't rely on an automated service or general customer service over the phone to take care of this properly. It has been my experience that this information doesn't always filter down to the right people. Also have them increase your daily withdrawal limit to the maximum so that you can avoid having to go to the ATM so often.

I always bring a backup ATM card linked to a secondary account just in case my primary ATM card is lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised. If my ATM card is compromised, I can transfer funds from one account to the other and begin to use my secondary ATM card instead.

I opened a Capitol One money market account just for the ATM - no fees. Then I found out I was getting a much better interest rate than my bank was offering!

Because of the time difference, it can happen that your ATM card will not be accepted because your stateside bank has gone offline. If that happens, before you panic, wait an hour or two and try again.

Patti, this link
may help answer some of your Italy ATM questions.