I'll wade in here. We were in Italy in June of last year for three weeks staying in a small town (I'm sure there aren't more than a few hundred people living there). We travelled throughout Tuscany and Umbria using our bank ATM cards everywhere. Italy is perhaps one of the best serviced countries in Europe for banking (one of our fellow travellers is a banker and he was impressed!). I was astonished to find that virtually every merchant has card access facilities. In fact, when we visited the food markets in towns and the local grocery stores, if we didn't have Euros, the vendor pointed us to a machine where we could access cash. In automated banking, Europe is miles ahead of North America.

Having said that, I'd agree with a fellow Ziner who previously posted. Take a VISA and a Mastercard, along with your bankcard, and each carry one. You'll have more difficulty explaining to the agent on this side of the ocean why you've made a purchase in Europe than you will in Italy. Also, the rate of exchange changes hourly with the world markets and you'll have no luck in playing that game.

Lucy, in Toronto where Spring is trying its best to come out.