Cost-of-Pizza Shock Hits Italy as Surge Far Outstrips Inflation

Enjoying one of Italy’s classic dishes has just become noticeably more expensive, with the average cost of cooking a Pizza Margherita up almost 30% in December from year ago.

That far outstrips last month’s inflation rate of 12.3%, which was driven by surging energy and food. The contrast underscores how, even after 75 billion euros ($81.6 billion) of government cash spent on helping Italians with gas and power bills, there’s only so much that can be done as other prices inch up.