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Italians Cut Back on Dolce Vita as Crisis Bites

Italy's household consumption fell sharply last year, with style-conscious Italians cutting back on clothes and home furnishings, official data showed on Friday.

Average monthly spending per household fell to 2,419 euros ($3,105) -- 2.8 percent less than in 2011.

"Families are afraid of a recovery that is not coming," business daily Il Sole 24 Ore commented.

While spending on food products remained roughly stable, the figures showed Italians spent 10.3 percent less on clothes and 8.7 percent less on house products.

The amount of money spent on free time and culture also went down by 5.4 percent, while spending on energy went up 3.9 percent -- a result of increased utility prices during Italy's prolonged recession.

Spending on health and medicine was also down.

The data showed gaping regional differences between average household spending of 2,919 euros a month in the Trentino-Alto Adige region in northern Italy and the 1,628 euros spent by households in Sicily.

Source: Agence France Presse


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