He added that the referendum should be not considered a vote on his premiership even though he has said he will quit if he loses.
"I'm sure that I'll win the referendum, but not because it would be a victory for me," Renzi told CNBC.
"It's about the future of Italy.
"I used very strong words about my future after the referendum.
"We also have the recent experience of the United Kingdom. It isn't easy to lose a referendum and return the next day as if nothing had happened. It would not be correct," he said, referring to David Cameron's decision to quit as British prime minister after the Brexit.
"But the priority now is to discover what this referendum is about".
Renzi said that a victory for the no vote would lead to instability and ruin the recovery.
"I'll win the referendum, but I think the people need to realize the instability that would follow if I don't," Renzi told CNBC.
"Not only would short-lasting governments remain, but there's also the danger, if you look at the polls, that the (anti-establishment 5-Star Movement) M5S could end up leading this country".
But he added that it would be a "mistake" to base the referendum campaign on the "risks of populism".
"Do you want change and to choose the future or do you want to continue with this model and destroy the prospect of growth in Italy? This is the derby match being played".
The Constitutional reform ends Italy's unusual system of 'perfect bicameralism' in which the Senate has equal status to the House, reduces the number of lawmakers, contains institutional costs, does away with the National Council on Economy and Labour (CNEL) - a constitutional organ with 64 councillors plus a president - and scraps Italy's 110 provinces.
ANSA
