Giovanni Auditore da Firenze

"I am Giovanni Auditore, and like my ancestors before me, I am an Assassin."

―AC: Lineage's headline

Giovanni Auditore da Firenze (1436 - 1476) is the father of Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He's a nobleman, working as a banker for the Medici, but his true face is the one of an Assassin. He was raised and trained along with his brother Mario as an Assassin, and has been aware of the Templars for almost all his life. He also knows his son's power: the Eagle Vision. Giovanni is the main character of the three Assassin's Creed world-based short films: Assassin's Creed: Lineage. Beside his brother, he has a wife, Maria Auditore, three sons (Ezio, Federico and Petruccio) and a daughter Claudia. He is portrayed by Romano Orzari.

Biography

Assassin's Creed: Lineage

Giovanni in his usual clothes.

Giovanni Auditore is a Florentine nobleman living during the 15th century in Italy: the Renaissance. But he is also an Assassin, a descendant of Altaïr serving for the powerful Lorenzo de' Medici and most of all: justice. In 1476, a conspiracy is going on to overthrow Lorenzo the Magnificent. One night, hiding from his family, Giovanni is about to execute a mission for his master. He intercepts in the dark streets of Florence Rodrigo Borgia and three of his men. Rodrigo flees, but Giovanni manages to capture one of his men. He brings him to Lorenzo, and the prisoner reveals through tortures that the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza will be assassinated in the church during the feast of Santo Stefano (the day following Christmas). Giovanni heads to Milan, but he arrives too late as he sees through the crowds the assassination of Sforza. The murderers are all killed by Giovanni and one of Sforza's guards. After this mission, Giovanni goes back to his nest seeing his family. He then meditates on the death of Sforza and its consequences.

Assassin's Creed II

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Giovanni (center) is going to be executed.

Giovanni Auditore is first seen in AC2 at Ezio's birth sequence in the Animus, in which he holds Ezio in his arms and remarks that he is a born fighter. After Desmond enters the Animus 2.0, Giovanni is seen once again at the Auditore's house, where he is proud that Ezio reminds him of himself when he was younger. Giovanni then gives Ezio two separate quests (Paperboy & Special Delivery) in Memory Block 1. Soon after completing the quests guards take Giovanni and his sons, Federico & Petruccio, to prison for being accused of treason. Ezio soon ventures to the prison window that they are being detained in for answers of their imprisonment but Giovanni instead tasks his son to find the hidden room inside of his office (Which hides his Assassin gear) and take everything that he finds. Shortly after Ezio arrives at where the execution takes place, Uberto declares Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio guilty of treason, therefore executed, becoming victims of a conspiracy. His execution has driven Ezio into the life of an Assassin and Maria into silence.

Trivia

• Giovanni's ring finger remains intact due to improvements to the hidden blade and changes to the tactics and traditions of the Assassin order made by Altaïr after the events of the first game. It is revealed during Ezio's Assassins Ceremony that instead of removing the ring finger it is instead burned in the form of a ring.
• Giovanni died before telling Ezio (And his youngest son, Petruccio) of their assassin heritage, which dissapointed his brother, Mario.