Euros

common question on the forum. See previous replies at https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=cash+in+Italy

Your own bank sets a lot of the fees--check that first.

Most of the fees are on your end. Does your bank charge "out-of-network" ATM fees? Does your bank charge foreign transaction fees? Can you remember to select that the transaction be in EUR? The only fee in Italy will then be the ATM use fee if any. Use a bank ATM, not one from Euronext or other "tourist trap" ATM's.

Define better. More convenient? Order up maybe €50-100 from your bank, preferably in €5s, 10s, & 20s.
Cheaper? A bank owned ATM in your arrival city. Consider whether you may need cash before getting to your hotel, and where the nearest ATMs are located.
Fees? Depends on the type of bank account you have. And the ATM you withdraw your cash from.
What places only accept cash? Depends on where you are.

Before you leave, Google “foreign exchange near me“ and if you find a place that sells you euros at a good rate at a convenient location, buy them there. For my recent trip, when the rate was 1.085:1, my bank (Wells Fargo) was selling them at 1.145, I found a forex place a mile from my home selling them at 1.095, so I bought them there.

Do what’s most comfortable to you. I take euros left over from a previous trip. If I don’t have any leftovers, I buy euros through my account at BAC. I don’t want to arrive without local currency or use an ATM when I’m tired; just my comfort level.

Your bank determines ATM fees just like your Credit Card company determines CC fees. If your bank charges a large fee, set up an account elsewhere. If you have a Fidelity account, their debit card reimburses any transaction fees and their credit card is no fee.

There are a few mom & pop stores and restaurants that are cash only. Where are you going? Germany in 2023 seemed to like cash more than France in 2022 when I visited both. But that’s a very generic broad statement.

Thank you