Leaving in 2 weeks for Sicily. Can I expect the same exchange processes as in Italy? I plan on taking 400 Euro and purchasing more as needed while there. Are there ATM's in the smaller towns ? Do most restaurants and shops accept American Express?
Thanks again,
Lorieann
Sicily is part of Italy. Yes, there are ATMs in smaller towns because the residents use them. I've not seen American Express widely accepted in Italy. VISA and Mastercard, yes. Might not be much you can do about that at this late date.
Some larger hotels accept Amex, you can check in advance on what cards are accepted by contacting the hotel or check a booking site that lists your hotel.
Most restaurants prefer cash; Amex is less widely accepted than MC or Visa.
ATMs are everywhere in Italy even the smallest towns.
You mention exchange of dollars for Euro. Don't do it! Get your Euro directly from bank run ATMs using only debit cards. You will get the absolutely best exchange rate that way, and if you are lucky enough to have a bank that doesn't charge foreign exchange fees for your debit card you will save even more. And if you choose a bank run ATM, they will charge zero fees from that end as well. Just make sure to tell your bank where and when you will be going so they don't freeze your account when transactions start coming in from Europe.
Buying 400 euro in the US will be much more expensive than using an ATM in Sicily. Take a hundred to get you through the first day or two. Sicily is a modern country with an extensive banking system and hundreds of ATMs since ATMs are there for convenience of the locals and not just US tourists. And this is one time you can leave home without your Am Express. AE is not widely accepted and especially in smaller towns. Visa and Mastercards are everywhere.
By the way, the Italian Postal Service has ATMs at nearly all locations, I use them all the time. Otherwise, look for signs that say "Bancomat", for ATMs connected to banks.
I wouldn't "exchange" dollars for Euros - just use an ATM like anywhere else in the world where ATMs are ubiquitous. If you bring large denominations with you, you may have trouble with small vendors breaking large bills. That's why I always take out small amounts as I need them because smaller bills are easier for people to deal with (caveat: I use a credit union ATM card that doesn't penalize withdrawals - only a 1% fee of each withdrawal amount). Lots of mom and pop places operate on cash but certainly in places like Taormina and Siracusa, you'll be able to use credit cards pretty extensively. I wouldn't count on Amex exclusively, it's not as popular as Visa/Mastercard.
Don't forget to call your bank and tell them you will be using your ATM card overseas, otherwise they'll block it thinking of fraudulent use.
It is a good policy, if you travel alone, to have two ATM cards from different banks, in case one is blocked, damaged or lost.
If you are traveling with someone make sure that each has a separate ATM card, so that you can cover each other in case one ATM card is blocked, damaged, or lost.
Only the most expensive hotels and restaurants accept AmEx in Italy. So I use Visa/MC, however my wife has AmEx and she carries it, since AmEx offers good travel benefits (like insurance) and gets you cash in case you are in an emergency situation with no cash.
Don't worry about locating ATMs. Italy has the highest concentration of bank branches in the European Union, to the chagrin of the European Central Bank, the bank regulator, who continually chastises the Italian bank system for having too many branches. There are more ATMs in Italy than in a Las Vegas casino, Any town with over 1000 souls will have at least one bank branch and a postal office, which in Italy is now a partly privatized large publicly held corporation which offers bank services, insurance services, and is even a mobile phone provider.
