Hi Martin,
It's not something that I have been made aware of or experienced on my own trip to Italy. Major credit cards (such as Visa and Mastercard) are accepted in most hotels, larger shops and restaurants. We would suggest that you inform your bank/card company of your trip to Italy, in order to avoid any problems when using your card or withdrawing cash from ATM’s. We would also recommend that you have some of the local currency to use in smaller shops and eateries.
Kindest regards
Julia