By John Phillips

ROME

Veteran Italian President Giorgio Napolitano was serving his last day as head of state Tuesday before at last retiring at age 89, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi said.

 "In the coming hours the moment will arrive to consider his service concluded," Renzi told a press conference in Strasbourg marking the end of Italy's rotating presidency of the European Union.

 Napolitano had announced his departure in his final television address to the nation on New Year's Eve. His term of office officially was due to conclude at midnight Tuesday.

Napolitano told a boy among a group of teenagers he spoke to in front of the presidential Quirinal Palace that "I am certainly happy to go home."

"It is very nice here, everything is beautiful but it is a bit of a prison," he quipped.

The outgoing head of state also called for unity in the face of critical moments such as the shock waves from the terrorist attacks in Paris.

"We are very encouraged by the extraordinary demonstration in Paris however we have to be on our guard against alarmism," he told the teenagers.

Renzi said that it is "premature" to say who will be the next Italian president and predicted that Napolitano will "continue to make his voice heard" as a life Senator.

Political experts said the succession to the presidency is uncertain as conservative Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told Renzi not to assume automatically the new head of state will be from the prime minister's Democratic Party.

European MPs in the Strasbourg Parliament burst into applause in tribute to Napolitano when Renzi mentioned the president's name during a speech for the end of the Italian presidency.