Mama mia, my penne is getting expensive

ROME (Reuters) - Many Italians excluded their beloved pasta from their supermarket shopping Thursday in protest at forthcoming price rises and consumer groups hailed the boycott as an excellent result.

Italians are in a state of outrage that rising wheat prices mean a plate of spaghetti in the next few months will almost certainly go up, even if by only a few cents, as many families eat pasta every day of the week.

"Pasta, bread, milk -- these are the most important things. We are not protesting for perfumes or jewels, but for pasta and bread," said one of demonstrators, Marisa, at a Rome protest.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."