Italian inflation dipped from 4.1% to 4% in August but was at a 12-year-high for the third straight month, Istat said Friday.
The dip was was mainly due to slight drops in the energy and food hikes that have driven inflation this year, the statistics agency said in its preliminary report.
Compared to July, when energy prices showed a 16.6% annual rise, in August they were 14.5% higher than a year previously.
With oil prices finally down, the price of petrol at the pump showed a monthly rise of 4.2% between July and August while diesel showed a monthly drop of 4.8%.
This crimped the year-on-year hike of petrol to 10.6% from 13.1% in July and the yearly rise for diesel from 31.4% in July to 23.9% in August.
But the recent rise in oil prices meant that the cost of air travel showed a massive gain of 40.7% compared to August 2007.
The annual food inflation dip was just 0.1%, from 6.3% to 6.2%.
But while bread was slightly down, pasta continued to rise.
Pasta was 25.6% dearer over the year, compared to a 24.7% rise in July.
Bread showed a 12.1% hike compared to a 12.9% year-on-year hike in July.
