Need advice for Exchanging US dollars for Euros

Generally you get a better exchange rate at ATM machines in Italy part of Italian banks. ATMs at Italian banks display the Bancomat circuit logo. Be aware that there are also machines that are managed by Euronet or Travelex which display "ATM" in English, which charge a commission and give a not so good exchange rate. Those are present in airports and souvenir shops etc. The Venice airport has also a bank ATM (Bancomat) which I think is attached to the Antonveneta Bank, a bank based in Padua.

You won't need a lot of cash however, since cards are accepted everywhere except for a few places like you mentioned (like some public restrooms which require one euro to enter or maybe some automatic pay parking kiosks), therefore getting euro in the US before departing won't amount to a huge loss, even though the exchange rate you get may not be as favorable at an Italian bank. Once you are at the Dolomites, if you need more money, you can go to any bank and use their ATM. Be aware that Italian laws require all merchants to accept digital payments regardless of transaction amount, therefore I'd be very surprised if you go to restaurants that don't accept cards. Refusing to take a card without reason (like malfunctioning POS machine) entails the merchant being liable to pay a fine. I'm not sure about alpine huts, maybe up there they don't get cell signal for their POS machines.

In the US you might need to order euro at your bank ahead of time, as they may not have it available on the spot. They can have them made available to you at your local branch if you order them a few days earlier. My bank (Chase) requires I order foreign currency in person at my local branch (cannot order it online) and physical cash arrive at the branch within a couple of days. I haven't used it for euro (only Mex. pesos), but that is how it works.

I think AAA also provides that service.

You can get a small amount of euros from your bank before you leave, if you dont want to arrive with no usable cash. The higher exchange rate at your bank wont be significant compared to the cost of your vacation. Don't get euros at the Venice airport., or from any machine that labels itself an ATM. These are corporate exchange machines (like Euronet) that inevitably charge a bad exchange rate and/or added fees. Only use a bank owned bancomat at a bank, or a postamat at a Post Office. You may be surprised how ubiquitous is the use of contactless credit cards, but having some cash is not a bad idea when heading into more remote areas.

Just repeating, once again, that different ATMs/Bancomats do not give different exchange rates, that is controlled by the network your ATM card uses. If you see note of an exchange rate when doing the transaction, that is DCC. Do the transaction in euros, and decline any offer of conversion.

You likely will see some use fee at any ATM in Italy using a foreign card, that is how the Bancomat network recoups some of it's costs, that and from the banks it represents. The Venice airport site shows two Bancomat machines in the arrival area.

There are several reasons we prefer to have local currency in hand before we arrive. We will be tired, jet lagged, and sleepy. The last thing we want to do is search for an ATM, wait in line to use it, try to remember the pin, and hope it works. Tthey do malfunction and run out of money at times. Just don't need that hassle. Yes it will cost a little more to get some Euros before you leave. However, the "extra" amount is nothing compared to the overall cost of the trip, and is, in our opinion, money well spent. Just offering food for thought.

Totally agree to go to your local bank and get a small amount before your trip. The difference between exchanging here versus there is not worth fussing about.

I am in your situation except I will be arriving at Milan Malpensa airport instead of Venice. Like you, I’ll be going directly to the Dolomites.

Getting €s before leaving the US is like setting one’s money on fire. There’s no way I’m going to do that. If I didn’t have any €s from a previous trip to Europe, when I arrive at Milan Malpensa, I would go to a bank cash machine and use my debit card.