Villa Auditore: Difference between revisions
imported>Gabriel Auditore m Missed this one. |
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|abandoned = 1500 | |abandoned = 1500 | ||
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Purchased by the family | The '''Villa Auditore''' was a familial home and stronghold of the [[House of Auditore|Auditore family]] located within the city of [[Monteriggioni]]. | ||
Purchased by the family sometime after 1321, it remained the home to the Auditore up until the turn of the 16th century, when it was heavily damaged during the [[Siege of Monteriggioni|siege of Monteriggioni]]. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Domenico Auditore=== | ===Domenico Auditore=== | ||
The villa was constructed in 1290. | The villa was constructed in 1290. Later, in 1320, a [[Florence|Florentine]] attack left the facade damaged, and in need of reconstruction.<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> | ||
After the death of [[Dante Alighieri]] in 1321, [[Domenico Auditore]] purchased the Villa, and subsequently erected a new facade, as well as a painting gallery within the Villa. He redesigned the Villa as both a home and as a fortress and training ground for the town.<ref name="AC2" /> | |||
The building itself was filled with hidden compartments and rooms, whilst the grounds catered to a number of different uses. Later, Domenico constructed | The building itself was filled with several hidden compartments and rooms, whilst the grounds catered to a number of different uses. Later, Domenico constructed a [[Auditore Family Crypt|family crypt]], which would later also be connected to an escape route within the Villa that led out north of Monteriggioni.<ref name="AC2" /> | ||
===Mario Auditore=== | ===Mario Auditore=== | ||
[[File:CDC 3 v.png|thumb|250px|The | [[File:CDC 3 v.png|thumb|250px|The decrepit Villa Auditore.]] | ||
By 1436, the Villa hosted the newest generation of Auditore [[Assassins]] | By 1436, the Villa hosted the newest generation of Auditore [[Assassins]]: the brothers [[Mario Auditore|Mario]] and [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni Auditore]]. Following the death of their father and Giovanni's departure for Florence, Mario became the sole ruler of Monteriggioni, and resident of the Villa in 1454.<ref name="AC2" /><ref name="Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref> | ||
Despite Mario's love for the Villa, it fell into disrepair along with the city | Despite Mario's love for the Villa, it fell into disrepair along with the city itself due to his focusing his spending on warfare and [[mercenaries]], rather than its upkeep. Instead, the Villa was mostly used for storing weapons and war equipment, and at one point, even a [[Shroud of Eden|mysterious artifact]] Mario had discovered hidden under Monteriggioni.<ref name="Project Legacy" /> | ||
During the [[Defense of Monteriggioni]] in 1454, the Villa was also where Mario and his mercenaries interrogated [[Luciano Pezzati]], a spy for the invading Florentine army.<ref name="Project Legacy | During the [[Defense of Monteriggioni|city's defense]] in 1454, the Villa was also where Mario and his mercenaries interrogated [[Luciano Pezzati]], a spy for the invading Florentine army.<ref name="Project Legacy"/> | ||
===Ezio Auditore=== | ===Ezio Auditore=== | ||
In 1476, Mario's nephew, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], as well as [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|his mother]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|sister]], came seeking refuge in Monteriggioni after the execution of | In 1476, Mario's nephew, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], as well as [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|his mother]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|sister]], came seeking refuge in Monteriggioni after the execution of their father and brothers. After resting in the Villa, Ezio intended to take his mother and sister to [[Spain]], much to Mario's protests.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
Eventually, Ezio decided to remain in Monteriggioni | Eventually, Ezio decided to remain in Monteriggioni and seek revenge on those responsible for the execution. He became, in effect, co-ruler of Monteriggioni with Mario, and the renovations he funded and oversaw proved to herald a rebirth for the Villa and overall city.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
Although the exact length of time it took for the Villa to be rebuilt is unknown, | Although the exact length of time it took for the Villa to be rebuilt is unknown, the Villa once again became an opulent structure and [[Italian Assassins]] headquarters by late December 1499.<ref name="ACB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> | ||
[[File:Villaburn.PNG|thumb|left|250px|Villa Auditore burning during the | [[File:Villaburn.PNG|thumb|left|250px|The Villa Auditore burning during the siege of Monteriggioni.]] | ||
However, on | However, on 2 January, 1500, the [[Papacy|Papal forces]], led by [[Cesare Borgia]]. besieged Monteriggioni, devastating the town and its Villa, while killing Mario. After this, the Villa was abandoned, as Ezio left the ruins of Monteriggioni to [[Liberation of Rome|wage war]] against the [[House of Borgia|Borgia family]] in [[Rome]].<ref name="ACB"/> | ||
Sometime before 1554, the Auditore resumed control over Monteriggioni, though the Villa was not rebuilt. In 1554, the Auditore were betrayed by Giovannino Zeti, keeper of the garrison and a Florentine exile, who gave the keys of the city to the [[House of Medici|Medici]].<ref name="AC2"/> | Sometime before 1554, the Auditore resumed control over Monteriggioni, though the Villa was not rebuilt. In 1554, the Auditore were betrayed by Giovannino Zeti, keeper of the garrison and a Florentine exile, who gave the keys of the city to the [[House of Medici|Medici family]].<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
The Medici conquered Monteriggioni, though they allowed the Auditore to continue ruling the city due to their families' good relationship.<ref name="AC2"/> | The Medici conquered Monteriggioni, though they allowed the Auditore to continue ruling the city due to their families' good relationship.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
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===Modern times=== | ===Modern times=== | ||
{{Dialogue|Desmond|Wait. We're at the Auditore Villa?|Lucy|Yes. It's our last safehouse in Italy.|The Assassins arriving at the Villa.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}} | {{Dialogue|Desmond|Wait. We're at the Auditore Villa?|Lucy|Yes. It's our last safehouse in Italy.|The Assassins arriving at the Villa.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}} | ||
[[File:ACB Modern Villa.png|thumb|250px|The modern Villa Auditore.]] | |||
By 2012, the Villa had become a World Preservation Site, and was heralded as "''one of the [[Tuscany|Tuscan]] countryside's most beloved landmarks.''" A plaque displayed before the Villa contained details of its construction, as well as how it had been destroyed in [[Rodrigo Borgia|Pope Alexander VI]]'s military campaign in 1500.<ref name="ACB"/> | |||
By 2012, the Villa had become a World Preservation Site, and was heralded as '' | |||
On September | On 9 September, 2012, [[Desmond Miles]], [[Lucy Stillman]], [[Rebecca Crane]], and [[Shaun Hastings]] set up a temporary base of operations within the [[Sanctuary]] beneath the Villa to escape the [[Templars]] searching for them. Throughout their stay, which lasted until October 10, the Assassins lived within the Villa, and came out only to collect provisions.<ref name="ACB"/> | ||
==Rooms== | ==Rooms== | ||
The Villa Auditore had several rooms, some of which were hidden. | The Villa Auditore had several rooms, some of which were hidden. | ||
===Main hall=== | ===Main hall=== | ||
[[File:Zw-mainhall.png|thumb|left|250px|The main hall.]] | [[File:Zw-mainhall.png|thumb|left|250px|The main hall.]] | ||
The main hall of the villa served as the entrance, and led to several other rooms, as well as the courtyard which contained the [[Monteriggioni Statuettes|statuettes]] Ezio | The main hall of the villa served as the entrance, and led to several other rooms, as well as the courtyard which contained the [[Monteriggioni Statuettes|statuettes]] Ezio recovered from the city.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
It was well-furnished, even in its state of disrepair, and was spacious and featured an elegant design. A large marble staircase occupied the center, leading to the second floor, while a chandelier hung from above. Several paintings purchased by Ezio decorated the walls of the main hall.<ref name="AC2"/> | |||
{{-}} | {{-}} | ||
===Armory=== | ===Armory=== | ||
{{Main|Armory}} | {{Main|Armory}} | ||
[[File:ACII-Armory 1.png|thumb|250px|The armor room.]] | [[File:ACII-Armory 1.png|thumb|250px|The armor room.]] | ||
In the armor room, Ezio was able to change his equipped weapons or armor within two separate armory rooms. The armor room contained the five sets of armor available to Ezio | In the armor room, Ezio was able to change his equipped weapons or armor within two separate armory rooms. The armor room contained the five sets of armor available to Ezio. The [[Armor of Altaïr]], once unlocked from the Sanctuary, was situated at the back of the armory.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
The center of the armory contained a model of the [[Flying Machine]] used during the assassination of [[Carlo Grimaldi]] in [[Venice]], along with a model of the carriage Ezio drove in the [[Appennine Mountains]] with [[Leonardo da Vinci]].<ref name="AC2"/> | |||
[[File:ACII-Armory 2.png|thumb|220px|left|The weapons room.]] | [[File:ACII-Armory 2.png|thumb|220px|left|The weapons room.]] | ||
The weapons room contained Ezio's weapons spread throughout several weapons racks. The left rack held the [[Schiavona]], the [[Common Sword|common]], [[Captain's Sword|Captain's]] and [[Milanese Sword|Milanese]] [[Swords and maces|swords]] | The weapons room contained Ezio's weapons spread throughout several weapons racks. The left rack held the [[Schiavona]], the [[Common Sword|common]], [[Captain's Sword|Captain's]], and [[Milanese Sword|Milanese]] [[Swords and maces|swords]]. Meanwhile, the right rack had the [[Sword of Altaïr]], the [[Old Syrian sword]], the [[Scimitar]], and [[Venetian Falchion|Venetian]] and [[Florentine Falchion|Florentine falchions]].<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
The other side had a rack which contained the Mercenario and the [[Condottiero War Hammer|Condottiero]] [[Warhammer]]s, the Maul, and the Flanged and Cavalieri Maces. The center of the room had a double sided rack that contained the [[short blade|small weapons]], comprised of the [[Dagger]], [[Knife]], [[Stiletto]], [[Channeled Cinquedea|Channeled]] and [[Notched Cinquedea|Notched Cinquedas]], and the [[Sultan's Knife|Sultan's]] and [[Butcher Knife|Butcher's knives]].<ref name="AC2"/> | |||
===Workshop=== | ===Workshop=== | ||
[[File:ACoP 10 v.png|thumb|250px|Ezio speaking with Claudia in the workshop.]] | [[File:ACoP 10 v.png|thumb|250px|Ezio speaking with Claudia in the workshop.]] | ||
The workshop was a room which contained several shelves lined with books, and a scale replica of Monteriggioni. Claudia Auditore occupied this room during Ezio's hunt for Rodrigo Borgia, keeping track of the city's finances and maintaining records of the Villa's refurbishment. Monteriggioni's resident [[Architects|architect]] was also present here, through whom Ezio made decisions regarding upgrades to the villa. This was also the place where | The workshop was a room which contained several shelves lined with books, and a scale replica of Monteriggioni. Claudia Auditore occupied this room during Ezio's hunt for Rodrigo Borgia, keeping track of the city's finances and maintaining records of the Villa's refurbishment.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
Monteriggioni's resident [[Architects|architect]] was also present here, through whom Ezio made decisions regarding upgrades to the villa. This was also the place where Leonardo da Vinci set up his workshop after being invited to stay at the Villa by Mario Auditore.<ref name="AC2"/> | |||
{{-}} | {{-}} | ||
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[[File:Codex Room.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Mario's study.]] | [[File:Codex Room.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Mario's study.]] | ||
Mario Auditore's study was a room where Mario and Ezio would discuss the operations of the Assassin Order, including details of various missions Ezio would undertake | Mario Auditore's study was a room where Mario and Ezio would discuss the operations of the Assassin Order, including details of various missions Ezio would undertake.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
The Codex Wall was located in the study, and the pages kept within it were added by Ezio once they were found throughout his journeys across Italy, after they had been decoded by | Before Ezio joined in the efforts of the Assassins though, the study had been the room in which his father, Giovanni, and Mario discussed plans for the order and missions.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
The [[Codex]] Wall was located in the study, and the pages kept within it were added by Ezio once they were found throughout his journeys across Italy, after they had been decoded by Leonardo da Vinci.<ref name="AC2"/> | |||
A few of the pages that had been on the wall were ones decoded by Giovanni. Standing before the Codex Wall was a pedestal meant for holding the [[Apple of Eden]]. The pedestal was placed in a way that the lights would mark locations on the map beneath the pages.<ref name="AC2"/> | |||
By 1499, Ezio had collected all of the Codex pages. He used his [[Eagle Vision]] to orient the pieces into their proper positions. When the puzzle was solved, the wall revealed a complete map of the world marked with the locations of the [[Pieces of Eden]] and the different [[The Vault|Vaults]] and [[Temples]].<ref name="AC2"/> | By 1499, Ezio had collected all of the Codex pages. He used his [[Eagle Vision]] to orient the pieces into their proper positions. When the puzzle was solved, the wall revealed a complete map of the world marked with the locations of the [[Pieces of Eden]] and the different [[The Vault|Vaults]] and [[Temples]].<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
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===Maria's room=== | ===Maria's room=== | ||
[[File:AC2 Maria Auditore's Room.png|thumb|250px|Maria's room.]] | [[File:AC2 Maria Auditore's Room.png|thumb|250px|Maria's room.]] | ||
Maria Auditore's room was the bedroom of Maria Auditore | Maria Auditore's room was the bedroom of Maria Auditore, located on the second floor of the villa. Like the rest of the villa, it was well furnished, and included a box for [[feather]]s that Ezio collected for her in memory of her other son, [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio]].<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
Maria spent around 20 years praying in this room, constantly in mourning for the loss of her youngest son. However, when Ezio had finally collected one hundred feathers, persisting even after his uncle Mario had written off Maria's grief as a hopeless cause, she finally spoke, thanking her son for not giving up on her.<ref name="AC2"/> | Maria spent around 20 years praying in this room, constantly in mourning for the loss of her youngest son. However, when Ezio had finally collected one hundred feathers, persisting even after his uncle Mario had written off Maria's grief as a hopeless cause, she finally spoke, thanking her son for not giving up on her.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
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Ezio Auditore's room was located at the top floor of the Villa Auditore. It served as a bedroom, study, and base of operations during his twenty-three year crusade to avenge his fallen father and two brothers, who were executed by members of the Templar Order.<ref name="AC2"/> | Ezio Auditore's room was located at the top floor of the Villa Auditore. It served as a bedroom, study, and base of operations during his twenty-three year crusade to avenge his fallen father and two brothers, who were executed by members of the Templar Order.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
Paintings of Ezio's [[Assassination Targets|assassination targets]] would be hung in his room after he had killed them | Paintings of Ezio's [[Assassination Targets|assassination targets]] would be hung in his room after he had killed them, with the exception of [[Dante Moro]] and [[Rodrigo Borgia]], which appeared even though Ezio spared his life.<ref name="AC2"/> | ||
The room was supported by a wooden beam running up from the middle of the floor to the ceiling, and was taken up mostly by a desk littered with letters and documents. Ezio's room was slightly altered just before the | The room was supported by a wooden beam running up from the middle of the floor to the ceiling, and was taken up mostly by a desk littered with letters and documents. Ezio's room was slightly altered just before the siege of Monteriggioni, with the addition of a large bed and a bath tub, with a set of stairs leading up to it instead of a ladder. These were possibly added after Ezio had upgraded the Villa.<ref name="ACB"/> | ||
[[File:Acber1.png|thumb|250px|Ezio's room shortly before the attack.]] | [[File:Acber1.png|thumb|250px|Ezio's room shortly before the attack.]] | ||
In 1500, Ezio was sleeping | In 1500, Ezio was sleeping with [[Caterina Sforza]] when the city was attacked in the siege. A cannonball crashed through the wall of his room and damaged the wooden support beam in the center of the structure, causing the ceiling to collapse onto half of the room. The collapsed ceiling fell onto the Armor of Altaïr, and Ezio had to leave it behind to go defend the Villa.<ref name="ACB"/> | ||
{{-}} | {{-}} | ||
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{{Main|Painting gallery}} | {{Main|Painting gallery}} | ||
[[File:Zw-gallery.png|thumb|left|250px|The painting gallery in the Villa Auditore.]] | [[File:Zw-gallery.png|thumb|left|250px|The painting gallery in the Villa Auditore.]] | ||
At some point during 1454, Mario created a painting gallery in the Villa, taking advantage of his brother's connections in Florence to import fine art.<ref name="Project Legacy | At some point during 1454, Mario created a painting gallery in the Villa, taking advantage of his brother's connections in Florence to import fine art.<ref name="Project Legacy" /> | ||
From 1476 to 1499, | From 1476 to 1499, Ezio gathered pieces of [[Renaissance]] artwork from [[Art Merchants|art merchants]] in several different cities during his travels, which were displayed in the villa's painting gallery. However, the paintings were either destroyed or stolen by the Borgia following the siege of Monteriggioni in 1500.<ref name="AC2"/><ref name="ACB"/> | ||
===Sanctuary=== | ===Sanctuary=== | ||
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<gallery widths="180" position="center" spacing="small" captionalign="center"> | <gallery widths="180" position="center" spacing="small" captionalign="center"> | ||
room2.jpg|An alternate view of Ezio's room. | room2.jpg|An alternate view of Ezio's room. | ||
Abcer2.png| | Abcer2.png|Ezio's room before the siege of Monteriggioni. | ||
ACII_Codex_Eagle_V.png|The Codex Wall in Mario's study. | ACII_Codex_Eagle_V.png|The Codex Wall in Mario's study. | ||
ACB Modern Study.png|Mario's study in the modern times. | ACB Modern Study.png|Mario's study in the modern times. | ||
ACB World Preservation Board.png|The World Preservation Site board in front of the | ACB World Preservation Board.png|The World Preservation Site board in front of the Villa in modern times. | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
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{{ACII}} | {{ACII}} | ||
{{ACBH}} | {{ACBH}} | ||
[[Category:Tuscany]] | |||
[[Category:Assassin Order]] | |||
[[Category:Monteriggioni]] | [[Category:Monteriggioni]] | ||
[[Category:Landmarks]] | [[Category:Landmarks]] | ||
Revision as of 00:29, 7 February 2013
|
"Everything is going according to plan." This article is being nominated for Featured Status. If you wish to share your own opinion about this article, please read the instructions within the nomination page before voting. |
- "A key force in the protection of Monteriggioni for hundreds of years and a source of great architectural innovation..."
- ―Commemorative plaque for the Villa Auditore, 2012.[src]
The Villa Auditore was a familial home and stronghold of the Auditore family located within the city of Monteriggioni.
Purchased by the family sometime after 1321, it remained the home to the Auditore up until the turn of the 16th century, when it was heavily damaged during the siege of Monteriggioni.
History
Domenico Auditore
The villa was constructed in 1290. Later, in 1320, a Florentine attack left the facade damaged, and in need of reconstruction.[1]
After the death of Dante Alighieri in 1321, Domenico Auditore purchased the Villa, and subsequently erected a new facade, as well as a painting gallery within the Villa. He redesigned the Villa as both a home and as a fortress and training ground for the town.[1]
The building itself was filled with several hidden compartments and rooms, whilst the grounds catered to a number of different uses. Later, Domenico constructed a family crypt, which would later also be connected to an escape route within the Villa that led out north of Monteriggioni.[1]
Mario Auditore
By 1436, the Villa hosted the newest generation of Auditore Assassins: the brothers Mario and Giovanni Auditore. Following the death of their father and Giovanni's departure for Florence, Mario became the sole ruler of Monteriggioni, and resident of the Villa in 1454.[1][2]
Despite Mario's love for the Villa, it fell into disrepair along with the city itself due to his focusing his spending on warfare and mercenaries, rather than its upkeep. Instead, the Villa was mostly used for storing weapons and war equipment, and at one point, even a mysterious artifact Mario had discovered hidden under Monteriggioni.[2]
During the city's defense in 1454, the Villa was also where Mario and his mercenaries interrogated Luciano Pezzati, a spy for the invading Florentine army.[2]
Ezio Auditore
In 1476, Mario's nephew, Ezio Auditore, as well as his mother and sister, came seeking refuge in Monteriggioni after the execution of their father and brothers. After resting in the Villa, Ezio intended to take his mother and sister to Spain, much to Mario's protests.[1]
Eventually, Ezio decided to remain in Monteriggioni and seek revenge on those responsible for the execution. He became, in effect, co-ruler of Monteriggioni with Mario, and the renovations he funded and oversaw proved to herald a rebirth for the Villa and overall city.[1]
Although the exact length of time it took for the Villa to be rebuilt is unknown, the Villa once again became an opulent structure and Italian Assassins headquarters by late December 1499.[3]
However, on 2 January, 1500, the Papal forces, led by Cesare Borgia. besieged Monteriggioni, devastating the town and its Villa, while killing Mario. After this, the Villa was abandoned, as Ezio left the ruins of Monteriggioni to wage war against the Borgia family in Rome.[3]
Sometime before 1554, the Auditore resumed control over Monteriggioni, though the Villa was not rebuilt. In 1554, the Auditore were betrayed by Giovannino Zeti, keeper of the garrison and a Florentine exile, who gave the keys of the city to the Medici family.[1]
The Medici conquered Monteriggioni, though they allowed the Auditore to continue ruling the city due to their families' good relationship.[1]
Modern times
- Desmond: "Wait. We're at the Auditore Villa?"
- Lucy: "Yes. It's our last safehouse in Italy."
- —The Assassins arriving at the Villa.[src]
By 2012, the Villa had become a World Preservation Site, and was heralded as "one of the Tuscan countryside's most beloved landmarks." A plaque displayed before the Villa contained details of its construction, as well as how it had been destroyed in Pope Alexander VI's military campaign in 1500.[3]
On 9 September, 2012, Desmond Miles, Lucy Stillman, Rebecca Crane, and Shaun Hastings set up a temporary base of operations within the Sanctuary beneath the Villa to escape the Templars searching for them. Throughout their stay, which lasted until October 10, the Assassins lived within the Villa, and came out only to collect provisions.[3]
Rooms
The Villa Auditore had several rooms, some of which were hidden.
Main hall
The main hall of the villa served as the entrance, and led to several other rooms, as well as the courtyard which contained the statuettes Ezio recovered from the city.[1]
It was well-furnished, even in its state of disrepair, and was spacious and featured an elegant design. A large marble staircase occupied the center, leading to the second floor, while a chandelier hung from above. Several paintings purchased by Ezio decorated the walls of the main hall.[1]
Armory
- Main article: Armory
In the armor room, Ezio was able to change his equipped weapons or armor within two separate armory rooms. The armor room contained the five sets of armor available to Ezio. The Armor of Altaïr, once unlocked from the Sanctuary, was situated at the back of the armory.[1]
The center of the armory contained a model of the Flying Machine used during the assassination of Carlo Grimaldi in Venice, along with a model of the carriage Ezio drove in the Appennine Mountains with Leonardo da Vinci.[1]
The weapons room contained Ezio's weapons spread throughout several weapons racks. The left rack held the Schiavona, the common, Captain's, and Milanese swords. Meanwhile, the right rack had the Sword of Altaïr, the Old Syrian sword, the Scimitar, and Venetian and Florentine falchions.[1]
The other side had a rack which contained the Mercenario and the Condottiero Warhammers, the Maul, and the Flanged and Cavalieri Maces. The center of the room had a double sided rack that contained the small weapons, comprised of the Dagger, Knife, Stiletto, Channeled and Notched Cinquedas, and the Sultan's and Butcher's knives.[1]
Workshop
The workshop was a room which contained several shelves lined with books, and a scale replica of Monteriggioni. Claudia Auditore occupied this room during Ezio's hunt for Rodrigo Borgia, keeping track of the city's finances and maintaining records of the Villa's refurbishment.[1]
Monteriggioni's resident architect was also present here, through whom Ezio made decisions regarding upgrades to the villa. This was also the place where Leonardo da Vinci set up his workshop after being invited to stay at the Villa by Mario Auditore.[1]
Mario's study
Mario Auditore's study was a room where Mario and Ezio would discuss the operations of the Assassin Order, including details of various missions Ezio would undertake.[1]
Before Ezio joined in the efforts of the Assassins though, the study had been the room in which his father, Giovanni, and Mario discussed plans for the order and missions.[1]
The Codex Wall was located in the study, and the pages kept within it were added by Ezio once they were found throughout his journeys across Italy, after they had been decoded by Leonardo da Vinci.[1]
A few of the pages that had been on the wall were ones decoded by Giovanni. Standing before the Codex Wall was a pedestal meant for holding the Apple of Eden. The pedestal was placed in a way that the lights would mark locations on the map beneath the pages.[1]
By 1499, Ezio had collected all of the Codex pages. He used his Eagle Vision to orient the pieces into their proper positions. When the puzzle was solved, the wall revealed a complete map of the world marked with the locations of the Pieces of Eden and the different Vaults and Temples.[1]
Beyond the Codex Wall was Mario's desk, where he did writing work and presumably kept track of the Brotherhood. As well as this, there was a large bookcase in the room, which concealed a mechanism that hid the stairs to a place known as the Sanctuary. Finally, above the study was a balcony, which would connect to a corridor that led to the entrances of the workshop, and Maria and Ezio's rooms.[1]
Following the attack by Cesare Borgia, the room had been destroyed in part, but still held Claudia's record book, which was found centuries later by Desmond Miles.[3]
Maria's room
Maria Auditore's room was the bedroom of Maria Auditore, located on the second floor of the villa. Like the rest of the villa, it was well furnished, and included a box for feathers that Ezio collected for her in memory of her other son, Petruccio.[1]
Maria spent around 20 years praying in this room, constantly in mourning for the loss of her youngest son. However, when Ezio had finally collected one hundred feathers, persisting even after his uncle Mario had written off Maria's grief as a hopeless cause, she finally spoke, thanking her son for not giving up on her.[1]
Ezio's room
Ezio Auditore's room was located at the top floor of the Villa Auditore. It served as a bedroom, study, and base of operations during his twenty-three year crusade to avenge his fallen father and two brothers, who were executed by members of the Templar Order.[1]
Paintings of Ezio's assassination targets would be hung in his room after he had killed them, with the exception of Dante Moro and Rodrigo Borgia, which appeared even though Ezio spared his life.[1]
The room was supported by a wooden beam running up from the middle of the floor to the ceiling, and was taken up mostly by a desk littered with letters and documents. Ezio's room was slightly altered just before the siege of Monteriggioni, with the addition of a large bed and a bath tub, with a set of stairs leading up to it instead of a ladder. These were possibly added after Ezio had upgraded the Villa.[3]
In 1500, Ezio was sleeping with Caterina Sforza when the city was attacked in the siege. A cannonball crashed through the wall of his room and damaged the wooden support beam in the center of the structure, causing the ceiling to collapse onto half of the room. The collapsed ceiling fell onto the Armor of Altaïr, and Ezio had to leave it behind to go defend the Villa.[3]
Painting gallery
- Main article: Painting gallery
At some point during 1454, Mario created a painting gallery in the Villa, taking advantage of his brother's connections in Florence to import fine art.[2]
From 1476 to 1499, Ezio gathered pieces of Renaissance artwork from art merchants in several different cities during his travels, which were displayed in the villa's painting gallery. However, the paintings were either destroyed or stolen by the Borgia following the siege of Monteriggioni in 1500.[1][3]
Sanctuary
- Main article: Sanctuary
The Sanctuary was a stone chamber located in Monteriggioni, and was used by Assassins in both the Renaissance and modern times. It was a well-built chamber found underneath the Villa Auditore, and could be accessed primarily through an entrance hidden behind a bookshelf in the Villa study.[1]
Statues of seven legendary Assassins lined the walls. Six of these statues had corresponding seals at their base, which had to be collected and returned, in order to unlock the gate in front of the seventh statue of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. This seventh statue also held the Armor of Altaïr until it was recovered by Ezio Auditore.[1]
Gallery
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An alternate view of Ezio's room.
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Ezio's room before the siege of Monteriggioni. -
The Codex Wall in Mario's study. -
Mario's study in the modern times. -
The World Preservation Site board in front of the Villa in modern times.
References
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