Europe this winter

With energy shortages has anyone given any thought to avoiding Italy

Nope, life goes on. The winter is mild in Italy. The exchange rate Euros to US dollars is the best it has been in years.

With energy shortages

For now there have been no energy shortages and the natural gas reserves are 80% full. Since I doubt Algeria is going to suddenly turn the tap off, we should be able to hold on until spring comes. I'm more worried about the situation in October 2023 if the war continues.

Without mentioning the summer draught, the warm autumn and the man-made lakes that are running low. Let's hope it snows a lot this winter.

Yes other people have been thinking this way, but nobody has a crystal ball to say. This would not be my deciding factor. Fuel prices likely to be high here as well. If you think about it, there's almost always something going on that interferes with trouble-free travel.

Might interest you: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/winter-travel-europe

"increased prices for various things, etc..."

Well, since the dollar is so good against the Euro right now, each time I used ApplePay for a purchase on my recent trip in Italy, the dollar amount on my CC was posted as less than the Euro amount so it didn't seem bad at all. I used Apple pay almost exclusively.

Besides there is inflation at home, food is higher so I'd say it's a wash at present. You should know I am not a high end eater so my spending less than 10E on a panini and drink for lunch might not be the same as what you would enjoy. (Panini 6-5E, water 2 or 3E)

Italy in March...you're not going to be primitive camping in the Dolomites are you? It will be fine. Go and enjoy life!