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This paper presents some empirical evidence on the growth of Italian regions in the period 1980-2004. Firstly we describe the trends of the main economic indicators and analyse the pattern of regional convergence/ divergence in the GDP per capita and in its main components. Secondly, through a standard growth accounting exercise, we provide some estimations of the sources of regional growth. Results show that TFP, not factors accumulation, was the main source of convergence among Italian regions in the period analysed. Finally, our analysis shows that a significant part of the regional economic growth -- in particular in the southern regions -- can be attributed to human capital accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]