Villa Auditore

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Auditore Family Villa

In his adventure, Ezio will discover the Auditore Family Villa, in the city of Monteriggioni. Perched atop a beautiful Tuscan valley, Monteriggioni has become run down and is badly in need of repair. Constructed in 1290, the Villa Auditore is an important medieval predecessor to early Renaissance architecture. The Villa’s wonderful symmetry and ordered geometry were a revelation for its time.

Not only concerned with aesthetics, Domenico Auditore, Ezio Auditore’s great-grandfather, designed his home to double as a fortress and training ground, looking out both over the city that it protects and the Tuscan plains.

After a Florentine attack in 1320 left the facade damaged, the present facade was erected and a painting gallery was added to the interior.

Domenico was more than just and architect and a warrior: he was also a skilled engineer. Hidden compartments and rooms with mechanisms blocking entry are several unique features of the building that make it a technological marvel as well as an architectural one.

Ezio is able to renovate both the town of Monteriggioni and the Auditore Villa. By investing in shops, Ezio can gain discounts to their wares, whilst improving the local economy. You may also choose to redecorate the Auditore Villa with famous renaissance paintings, weapons and armor, and store a variety of collected objects. These items increase the worth of the Villa, and so the revenue generated each 20 minutes grows. As the player invests in Monteriggioni, the Villa's outside appearance improves over time. Boards across windows are taken down, overgrown plants recede, and flags bearing the assassin symbol appear around the roof. While the shop's appearance will improve, Monteriggioni's citizens always seem to be poorer (in clothing) than their counterparts from the cities.

Claudia and Maria Auditore remain at the villa for the rest of the game. Claudia keeps records of Monteriggioni's income, while Maria prays in one of the bedrooms.

Mario's office contains wall-space where deciphered Codex Pages can be placed and pieced together. Later, Mario reveals a hidden room in which Altaïr's armour is locked. The underground chamber also hides statues of Persian, Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Chinese assassins from the past. In order to unlock Altaïr's armour, the player must collect six seals from the sarcophagi of assassin tombs across Italy.  

Monteriggioni Family Crypt

Beneath the Family's mansion, is located the Monteriggioni Family Crypt, a place similar to the six Assassin Tombs Ezio finds throughout the world. While there is no major reward, he discovers information about Ezio's great-grandfather, his history as an Auditore and an Assassin, and the buildings of Monteriggioni.

There is 2,000 florins to be had at the end of the level - 500 florins more than any other Assassin Tomb - but the real reward and meaning of the place is the information about the origins of the Auditore family.