The Pope is to spend his final hours at his Vatican residence saying farewell to the cardinals who have been his closest aides during his eight-year pontificate, says the BBC's David Willey at the Vatican.

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At Holiday Inn Expresses and AmeriSuites hotels, at Residence Inns and Marriott Suites all across America, the final touches are being put on complimentary continental breakfast spreads.

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The palazzo served as a residence for the patrician Grassi family, who bankrolled the Venetians' final war against the Turks.

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