Italian households' consumption has gone back to the level of "almost 30 years ago," a study said here on Monday.

According to a report from Intesa Sanpaolo bank, Italian families' expenditure on food, beverage and tobacco in 2011 has decreased by 1.5percent compared with the previous year.

"Italy has to go back to the early eighties to see less than 2,400 euros a year (about 3,100 U.S. dollars) pro capite destined to food, beverages and cigarettes," the report said.

Such data clearly indicated "the problems experienced by Italian consumers who, faced with tension in the labor market and lower incomes, have further reduced waste and limited expenditure also in a sector regarding fundamental products such as food," the report said.

It added that rising unemployment would further hit consumption.

Italy saw record high retail prices for fuels on Monday, with gasoline sold at 1.865 euros per liter and 1.780 euros per liter for diesel oil.

Meanwhile, the country's national statistic institute Istat confirmed on Monday that the country had technically entered recession after having registered a negative growth for two consecutive quarters.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, Italy's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 0.7 percent from the previous three months, when it had shrunk of 0.2 percent compared to the second quarter.