Catacombs of Rome

The Catacombs of Rome (Italian: Catacombe di Roma) are ancient underground burial places located in and around the Italian city of Rome. During the Renaissance, one of the catacombs acted as a Lair of Romulus.

History

The catacombs were constructed during the 2nd century. As Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire at the time, these catacombs served as a place where people could secretly bury their dead.

By the 16th century, the catacombs were made up of several winding, maze-like tunnels, and the entrance to the Shrine of Romulus was cut into the wall of a seemingly bottomless pit, requiring the Assassin Ezio Auditore to drop down and grasp the wall to enter it. Near the end of the catacombs, Ezio was attacked by several Followers of Romulus, but they were easily dispatched. Upon reaching the shrine, Ezio took the key and scroll of Romulus within it.

In 1506, after Leonardo da Vinci was rescued from Ercole Massimo's Cult of Hermes by Ezio, an Assassin escorted Leonardo to safety through the catacombs. In the process, the Assassin came upon a secluded tunnel blocked by thick grates and a metal door, behind which a chest bearing the Assassin insignia lay secured. After reporting his findings to Niccolò Machiavelli, the Assassin and three other apprentices were sent to retrieve the chest, but their mission ended in failure when they were all captured and killed by Borgia guards. Machiavelli subsequently sent Lo Sparviero to avenge their Brothers' deaths and recover the chest.

Trivia

• This particular Lair of Romulus must be completed within 8 minutes to achieve full synchronization.
• Should Ezio ever come to a fork in the lair, scanning the wall with Eagle Vision would reveal an arrow pointing in the right direction.
  • Alternately, the flames of each torch on the wall were also blowing towards the path leading to the exit.
• If Ezio scanned the large cathedral near the entrance with Eagle Vision, two of the cryptic messages that Clay Kaczmarek left on the floors of Abstergo Industries' facility in Rome could be seen, albeit partly obscured by objects in the room. One was the word puzzle that decoded to: "Artefacts sent to the skies to control all nations to make us obey a hidden crusade; do not help them." The other was a pyramid with an Apple of Eden on top.
• There were several spots throughout the catacombs where Followers of Romulus could be seen running through them.

Gallery

• 
  Ezio entering the catacombs
• 
  Ezio traversing a cavern
• 
  Ezio standing over a pit
• 
  Ezio navigating the lower catacombs
• 
  Ezio by the entrance to the Basilica
• 
  Ezio inside the Basilica
• 
  A Follower of Romulus looking down into the Basilica
• 
  Ezio traversing the Basilica
• 
  Database image of the Catacombs of Rome in Assassin's Creed: Identity
• 
  Glyphs in the catacombs

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Identity (mentioned in Database entry only)