Italy's premier Matteo Renzi on Thursday hailed as "a great result" official figures showing that the country's economy grew 0.3 percent from July to September - just three days before a key referendum on constitutional reform.
"This is a great result....the machinery is moving again," Renzi wrote on his Facebook page.
The Italian economy expanded an annual 1 percent in the third quarter, according to the data published by central statistics agency Istat - up from a preliminary estimate of 0.9 percent.
The quarterly rebound was line with a preliminary estimate released by Istat last month.
In further good news for Renz, the youth unemployment rate among job seekers aged 15 to 24 nudged down to 36.4 percent in October from 36.8 percent in September, registering its lowest rate since October 2012.
Renzi has come under growing pressure ahead of Sunday's referendum on overhauling Italy's political machinery, which he has turned into a vote on his leadership, threatening to resign if it fails.
Top priorities for the government to tackle straight after Sunday's plebiscite are Italy's sluggish growth, its frail banking sector and immigration, Renzi said in an interview on Wednesday.
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