MILAN — Preliminary figures from Italy's national statistical agency confirm that the eurozone's third-largest economy has slid into recession.

ISTAT said Wednesday that the Italian economy contracted a quarterly rate of 0.7 percent in the last three months of 2011 — that's the second straight quarterly decline, the official definition of a recession.

The Italian economy registered growth of 0.4 percent last year, compared with 1.4 percent a year earlier.

Italy is struggling to escape Europe's sovereign debt crisis with measures to cut spending and spur growth.