Giovanni Giocondo

Fra Giovanni Giocondo (c. 1433 – 1515) was an Italian architect, antiquary, archaeologist, and classical scholar.

After assassinating Vieri de' Pazzi, Ezio Auditore da Firenze acquired a letter from Giocondo to Vieri's father.

Letter

Messer Francesco,

I have done as requested and spoken with your son. I agree with your assessment, though only in part. Yes, Vieri is brash and prone to act without forethought. And he has a habit of treating the mercenari like playthings. I've received reports of at least three men being disfigured as a result. But I do not think him, as you put it, beyond repair. Rather, I believe the solution to be a simple matter.

He seeks your approval. Your attention. These outbursts of his are a result of insecurities borne out of a sense of inadequacy. He speaks of you often and fondly and expresses a desire to be closer to you. So if he is loud and foul and angry - I believe it is simply because he wants to be noticed. He wants to be loved.

Act as you see fit, on the information I've given you here. But I must ask that we end this correspondence. Were he to discover the nature of our conversations, I fear what might become of me.

Yours in confidence,

Fra Giocondo

Reference

• Assassin's Creed II