Borgia tower

A Borgia Tower in the Campagna district

Borgia towers were guard towers found within the Italian city of Rome during the Renaissance. They were used by the Borgia as a display of their dominance over the city, and a base for an assigned Captain to manage the patrols that maintained control in each district.

Though most Captains would choose to fight off a threat, some fled from confrontation and sought sanctuary in the tower. The heavy fortifications served as effective protection for the Captain, who would only venture out again at the next guard shift.

Destruction

Niccolò: "Just because you kill a few guards does not mean the people will grant access to the stables."

Ezio: "You are right. We need to send a signal."

—Niccolò Machiavelli and Ezio Auditore, moments before Ezio burned down a Borgia Tower.

In order to liberate Rome and humiliate the Borgia, the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze killed each tower's Captain and then burned down the tower itself, as a demonstration to the people that the Borgia's oppressive rule was coming to an end.

List of tower's captains:

Centro District

• Iacopo de Grassi
• Pietro da Siena
• Valentino da Siena
• Belardino da Verona
• Domenico da Padova

Campagna District

• Francesco da Velletri
• Antonio da Fiorentino
• Ferdinando di Napoli
• Battista Borgia

Antico District

• Prospero da Siena
• Tommaso di Viterbo
• Ippolito di Foligno

Once a tower had been destroyed, the Assassins rebuilt it and claimed it for themselves, dubbing it an Assassin Tower. With the tower under Assassin rule, Ezio was able to recruit one more potential apprentice and manage the Guild from there.

Additionally, the district around the tower would begin to show signs of civilized life returning; crime would decrease, as bandits would start to leave, and the guards in the area would reduce in numbers. Citizens also began to have a more prominent presence in the area and could be found wandering the streets, while shops and landmarks nearby would become available for purchase.

Trivia

• Borgia towers served as viewpoints for the surrounding area, and were surrounded by many circling crows. Burning a tower would automatically activate its viewpoint, saving Ezio the effort of having to climb it once more and interacting with it.
• After the destruction of a Borgia tower, vigilantes appeared in the area to assist Ezio. Additionally, Borgia banners on the towers themselves were replaced with those of the Papal States.
• Viewing a Borgia tower with Eagle Vision showed that the Borgia banners on its sides glowed red, similarly to an enemy.
• In Assassin's Creed: Ascendance, the murders of Oliverotto da Fermo and Vitellozzo Vitelli took place in what appeared to be the same Borgia tower that kept Bartolomeo d'Alviano at bay. This causes conflict in the timeline, as Ezio destroyed the tower in 1500, while the deaths of Oliverotto and Vitellozzo took place in 1502.
• The choice to represent Borgia headquarters as towers, and the appearance of the towers themselves, appear to be inspired by the Tower of the Borgias in Canals, Valencia. The tower itself is of 13th century Moorish origin, but a century later was incorporated into a Valencian Gothic palace that was the seat of the Lordship of Torre de Canals, a feudal territory possessed by the Borgia until it was sold to the city of Xativa in 1506; the palace later fell into ruin and the tower is one of the remnants. Callixtus III, the uncle of Rodrigo Borgia and son of one of the Borgia lords of Torre de Canals, is thought to have been born there.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art of a Borgia tower
• 
  Ezio walking away from a Borgia tower
• 
  Ezio escaping a burning Borgia tower

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Identity
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice