The Palazzo Pitti is a vast, mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present palazzo dates from 1458 and was originally the town residence of Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker. It was later bought by the Medici family in 1549: as the official residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, it was enlarged and enriched almost continually over the following three centuries. In the 19th century, the palazzo, by then a great treasure house, was used as a power base by Napoleon I, and later served for a brief period as the principal royal palace of the newly united Italy. In the early 20th century, the palazzo together with its contents was given to the Italian people by the King Victor Emmanuel III, subsequently its doors were opened to the public to serve as one of Florence's largest art galleries. Today housing several major collections, in addition to those of the Medici family, it is fully open to the public.

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1877: Cricketers representing England and Australia played the first Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cricket)

1906: Charles Rolls and Henry Royce founded the automobile manufacturing company Rolls-Royce. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce)

1917: Tsar Nicholas II of Russia was forced to abdicate in the February Revolution, ending three centuries of Romanov rule. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia)

1939: German troops began the occupation of Czechoslovakia; the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was proclaimed the following day. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/occupation_of_Czechoslovakia)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"Fortune, which has a great deal of power in other matters but especially in war, can bring about great changes in a situation through very slight forces." -- Julius Caesar (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar)