car rental in Italy with Visa card

You really should contact Visa to be certain.

Not necessarily. You may be covered. It depends on the credit card (and how you manage the transaction at the counter). Not all credit cards are the same!!!

You need to ask this question to your credit card company (actually, the insurance company that your credit card uses to handle their insurance), not strangers on an internet forum. Call them and talk with them - but make sure you understand exactly what they're saying. You should ask them specific questions about what's covered and what's not, and what you need to do at the car rental counter. Ask them to send you the details via email, so you have it in writing.

You really need to do your homework or you may be taking great risks or waste money (or both). So you need to read and understand what they send you, and you also must read and understand the rental contract - all of it, including the small print.

I went to Italy last year and used my credit card to cover the insurance, it was fine. But I did all my homework, I read and understood everything, I "got it in writing" and I took printed copies of the paperwork from my credit card company (translated into Italian) along with me.

Thanks, I will contact my credit card. The problem is that it seems to be impossible to make a reservation without any insurance, all website include cdw and theft.

EDIT: I found that info on the Website of my card :

In some jurisdictions, the law requires the rental agencies to
provide CDW or LDW in the price of the car rental. In these
locations, CLD insurance will provide coverage of any
deductible that may apply, provided all the procedures outlined
in this Certificate have been followed and You have waived the
rental agency’s deductible waiver. No CDW or LDW premiums
charged by rental agencies will be reimbursed under the Policy

The problem is that it seems to be impossible to make a reservation without any insurance, all website include cdw and theft.

Your credit card company knows all about the regulations in Italy. SOME insurance is required by law in Italy (and some other countries) so you can not decline it at the pick-up counter. Just be sure you know which coverage is required and what's not, and what your card's insurance does and does not cover, and how you need to answer the questions at the car rental pickup counter.

Also note that some "required" coverage may be minimal - in other words, you must get a tiny bit of insurance because that's required, but that is not enough coverage and you may need more - either from you credit card company, or paid out of your pocket - so be sure you understand how much money you are covered for - it may not be enough!. As an example, in Mexico, some liability insurance is required, and always included...but it is a very small amount of coverage, so you may need to buy additional coverage even though you have some "included automatically". Bottom line: this is more complicated than most people realize, and you should be careful to make sure you understand exactly what you're getting and what you're not.

Give the reported problems of credit card insurance on this site and others, I am very reluctant to depending on credit card insurance when renting in Europe. You can save a few bucks but at what potential cost? I would read the fine print several times. For me the cost/benefit ratio just doesn't work.

It is my understanding that credit card coverage is not valid for Italy.

Not covering Italy is true for American Express but usually not Visa.
With credit card coverage nothing is ever true across brands like Visa ; the issuing bank and exact card will result in different policies.
So have to always be careful and check your exact terms and fine print.

To the OP's general question they usually have a clause that keeps you covered if it is totally impossible for you to deny any coverage.
Couple of critical points:
1.) Assuming your Visa card does cover you, expect the rental car company to precharge and hold a large deposit, much larger than if you buy their insurances. They are not accepting Visa as the insurer but your card as guarantee of them being paid by you for any damage. After all you are guaranteeing you will cover the damage on the card you present to them.
If you don't have a high limit cushion available it is probably not wise to rent this way.

2.) Should anything happen you need to be the go between and the documentor, keeping all paperwork on repairs, police reports. You have to pay for the damages on your Visa and then once you are home spend a bunch of time submitting a claim and waiting would could be months for Visa to reimburse the charges on your card. I think this is what most don't understand thinking Visa and the rental company in Italy work things out together, no that is on you to get yourself reimbursed.

2b.) Hertz or Avis or any other similar brand in Italy is only loosely related with the brand here in the states, so the US offices will be no help, if you need documentation or most anything post trip, you will have to deal with an Italian office.

2c.) I don't have any personal experience with this but have read some of the smaller players in European rentals like Dollar, Budget have started not permitting Visa only insurance as coverage. This may not be factual and I am certain the big 3 of Hertz, Avis and Europcar will.

3.) Given 1 and 2 are hassles for anyone that values their time or spending capacity it is usually worth comparing how much the insurance from the car companies does cost. if it is not a significant amount than it may not make sense to take on any of this headache yourself and just pay a little more at the counter. if it is a high amount though, might as well use your card's benefits. The Visa cards with the best benefits usually have annual fees, so you are paying for these perks.

I have rented many times in Europe with a Visa card that covers me Have a Chase Sapphire Reserve and a Chase Sapphire Preferred ; sometimes I deny coverage and use the Visa for coverage ; other times I pay extra with the rental for zero liability.
Many of the rental agencies don't quote insurance cost online so I often go to Auto Europe because they do and have cheaper rates for insurance typically.

Last comment from me:
I don't always trust what I hear from calling a large company like Visa or Chase. Fact is the 800 numbers are a roll of the dice, sometimes you get someone great and very knowledgeable other times you get the opposite. It is common advice to call your card issuer for these type of questions but I am not sure that will result in more accuracy on average than just double reading your specific terms and asking questions on forums like this if the terms are not clear.

When I rented in Sicily recently, CDW and liability were mandatory and included in the rental price. Declining wasn’t an option. Once there, I had the option to pay extra for full coverage with zero deductible.

My own anecdotes: I have very rarely rented cars in Europe, once in Sicily a few years ago, and then this past June in Spain. Both times, I got zero deductible insurance, at modest extra cost. I figured that should anything problematic occur, that would simplify any hassle, and eliminate the need for me pay up front, collect police reports and receipts, in order to file for later reimbursement from credit card insurance. It would also eliminate any incentive for rental staff to find some questionable damage when I turned In the car. In Spain, I did have some minor but noticeable damage when a hotel garage door and my car bumped. I believed the door closed on me while I was entering the garage, the hotel said the door was computerized and could not have hit me, I must have caused the bumping. It was a friendly disagreement, not really a dispute. Both when I called the rental company’s customer service, and at the car return desk, I was told simply: “you have zero deductible insurance, so no problem”.

"It is my understanding that credit card coverage is not valid for Italy. "

This used to be true as a blanket statement, but now, as David says, it depends. Some cards can give coverage in Italy, but you have to check for your specific card. You can't just say, for instance, "Visa covers Italy" or "Visa doesn't cover Italy" - different flavors of Visa will have different rules for Italy.

I totally agree and reinforce what Larry said above. On my last four trips to Italy I have always opted for $0 deductible insurance and on my last rental in October, it was well worth the modest extra cost. My rental as from Herz through AutoEurope. Returned the car, showed the damage, answered @ few questions as to how it happened and I was on my way. Phew!

One thing to consider is that if you rent directly from the rental company (e.g. Europcar or Hertz), the upcharge for $0 deductible is substantial. If you go to the AutoEurope site, the additional charge is far less and the rental amount usually is also less.

Thanks once again !

for a 26 days rental like we will need, adding zero deductible add at least 300$ to the price. Is not minimal from my point of view !

Since our trip is only in July we still have plenty of time before booking on Auto Europe, do price vary over time or the price we have now will be the same ine 3-4 months ?

AutoEurope adjusts prices depending on supply and demand. I’ve always locked in a price and checked every few weeks to see if it has changed. I have had substantial price drops and a simple telephone call to AutoEurope was all that was needed to get the reduced price and a speedy credit to my credit card.

Also check with their sister company Kemwel. They sometimes have better prices on the same rental. AutoEurope will either match it or you can switch to Kemwel.

I'd be very careful reading a paragraph on a website rather than asking the specific question of the actual company.

The reason is that sometimes websites direct you elsewhere for an answer, and you need to carefully follow the address, and the answer can be generic or out of date.

Now that you have found an answer it would be prudent to follow it up with a written confirmation from the insurer that what you believe to be the fact is indeed the fact in your circumstances. Written is better than verbal.

Since your trip is some time from now it is also valuable to confirm again nearer the time.

The poster who wrote that different Visa cards provide different coverage is spot on, and I assume the op has checked that. I am with the op in believing that $300 extra is not insignificant. If the Visa card provides the insurance, why pay for more? I have actually had occasion to test my Chase card coverage in Italy. They charged me for the rental company’s damage claim; but in about 6 weeks after filing the paper work, that charge was reversed.

OP: check your card's policy for number of rental days the policy is good for as well. 26 day rental is a long time.
Edit: looked at mine and says good for up to 31 day rental so probably good here.

Others renting for that long often do a short term lease. You get a brand new car and the price includes zero deductible insurance already.

Might want to compare the pricing, I think Auto Europe handles those, through the Peugeot Open Europe program.

I found this blog on the web which is probably the only unbiased bits of information on this topic. Applies to a specific Chase card and is based on a domestic rental but really the general pluses and minuses are covered and similar to what I wrote in my lengthy post above.

https://www.asksebby.com/blog/how-to-use-the-chase-sapphire-reserve-auto-rental-cdw-benefit

Main summary for me, can be a good way to save money but if you do have an incident with your rental don't expect it to be a pain free process to get your credit card to cover the damages.

Just to add another plug for Kemwel. I know of three times (once with me, twice with friends) when Kemwel had a much better price for a zero deductible rental in Italy than AutoEurope did - even though they are now under the same umbrella. So, definitely check both, as well as the car rental companies themselves. Just as with airfares, the "best deal" is a constantly moving target.