A recent Istat study confirms an ever-widening spending gap between consumers in Italy’s richer north and its poorer south. Data reveals that in 2010, households in the industrialized Lombardy region spent an average 2,896 euro a month, half of the 1,668 euro Sicilian households spent monthly. Average monthly spending across Italy in 2010 was recorded at 2,453 euro, a 0.5 percent rise since 2009.