Is appears that the majority of hotels, apartments, and B&Bs only take cash in Italy. Doesn't that make tourists a BIG target? Yes, I know about money belts and ATMs but, why only cash and how can you minimize how much you carry when you're on the road other than only booking at hotels that accept credit cards - which seem to be quite limited. Thanks for your input.

The only time we have ever paid cash for a hotel in Italy was last spring when we did so in order to receive a discount.

Every hotel we have ever used has taken credit cards.

Byrd

You keep one hand on your purse in you pocket should you go to an area where pickpocketing is a risk. Just the common reflex, it comes automatically.
It's good for credit cards too. Pickpockets are not an issue.

"Is appears that the majority of hotels...only take cash"

Codswallop.

Absolute claptrap. If you got that from a guide book, ask for your money back. If you heard it from a friend, ask yourself what other nonsense he or she's been telling you.

I'm afraid I agree with flanner. I've been to Italy many times and have never been asked for cash except in a few very small restaurants.

If your hotel does want cash , make a trip to the ATM and go right back to the hotel and pay.

My experience has been that smaller places often prefer cash, a few places require cash, and other places will give a discount for cash.

If I need cash for a hotel, I take a quick trip to a cash machine and get it.

I don't recall Italy being any different than most other countries in this regard.

I always recommend using a money belt. I have never lost a driver's license, a credit card, a camera, or cash from a money belt. Furthermore, I prefer to take the maximum amount (usually $500) allowed per day, as my bank charges $5.00 for foreign cash transactions.

Yes, some B&Bs and some rental flats do require (or prefer) cash. But that would be a <u>definite minority</u>. Plus - unless you are flashing your money around how would anyone know you are carrying lots of cash?

Another vote to say that our experience, over numerous trips to Italy, is that many, many places take credit cards. There are some hotels that will give a discount for cash, but they also take credit cards. Some restaurants only take cash, but that's not an extraordinarily-large amount to have on hand.

Credit cards aren't an issue, BUT "Maestro" is always preferred. It seems it's less expensive to them.

I guess I'm at the low end, but I'm reserved at a B&B in Florence - cash only, a hotel in Sorrento - cash only and an apartment in Rome - cash only. Now is that unusual?

With private-owned places this is not unusual at all.

It is not that unusual. We stayed two night at two star hotel, meals included, but cash only. Two years later we went back and stayed six days, three people, meals mandatory(circa 800 euro). I paid the owner half way through (got a receipt on the back of a business card) and then settled up the night before we left. By breaking the payment in half, we weren't totally stressing the limits on our ATM cards.

I'm afraid you're mistaken. Almost all hotels take credit cards as do many pensions. It;s true that most people renting our apartments want cash - but you have to pay a good part of it up front as a deposit, and the rest on the spot when you arrive - so you won;t be "carrying" the cash except from the airport to the apartment.

(Some smaller, more modest places will give a small discount for cash - it;'s up to you to decide if the savings is worth carrying all that money around. Also, with pensions that take cash you can pull it from an ATM machine each day - you don;t have to pay it all up front.)

I stayed at one Hotel and two B&Bs while in Italy; the Hotel took CC no problem, but the B&Bs, small and family run did want cash. The second allowed me to pay either up front or in installments. I also recommend getting the cash right before going to the place you'll be staying rather than hanging on to it for a while, at least cutting down the amount of time you have cash on you.

It's VERY simple. Only Americans will come up with this problem. The rest will either pay cash or credit or debit if asked. So if US customers make up part of ther clientele and they feel they can't cope without them, they'll offer to accept credit cards. The rest of their customers couldn't care less. They accept whatever is offered as a means of payment.
People get their cash from the ATM and then pay cash. If they forget to get cash from the ATM, they use the debit card.

"I guess I'm at the low end, but I'm reserved at a B&B in Florence - cash only, a hotel in Sorrento - cash only and an apartment in Rome - cash only. Now is that unusual?"

Had you posted this as your FIRST post instead of making broad, sweeping generaliztions you probably would have gotten more useful help.

Just go get the cash you need for THAT location and give it to the landlord. It's pretty simple!