Florence

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Florence (Italian: Firenze) is a major city located in northern Italy. The city was home to the notable Auditore family during the late 15th century, and housed four districts: Santa Maria Novella, San Giovanni, San Marco, and Oltrarno.

During the 15th century, the city was ruled by the venerable Lorenzo de' Medici, a member of the powerful Medici dynasty. However, the city later fell into a dark age with the Bonfire of the Vanities, under the leadership of the mad monk, Girolamo Savonarola.

History

Early development

Florence was founded during the Roman era, in the year 59 BCE, although it would be some 1,400 years before it developed into one of Italy's most important cities. After the sacking of Rome, in the 5th Century, the Ostrogoths took over. Under their rule, the city was constantly under attack from the Byzantines, who sent the population level below 1,000. The Lombards came to power in the 6th Century, ending the Byzantine assaults.

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The city at night.

Florence grew to a population of 80,000 in the 14th Century, of which 25,000 were working in the wool industry. In 1378, a major revolt of the lower class led to the wool combers rising up and seizing the government of the city. Their progressive, radical democracy lasted for less than 2 months before the upper classes seized control once more, but the revolt so terrified the rich, that a century later it was still discussed in hushed tones.

The Albizzi family became the de facto rulers after the revolt. Worried about the rise of the Medici family, who were newly rich bankers rapidly gaining influence in Florence, Maso and Rinaldo Albizzi imprisoned Cosimo de' Medici and exiled him in 1433. But Cosimo gained influence behind the scenes, and rose to power in 1434, exiling the entire Albizzi family except for Luca, who had been loyal to Cosimo. Luca Albizzi joined the Signoria, the ruling body of Florence, as Gonfaloniere, succeeding Cosimo's old friend Ilario Auditore in 1442.

After the revolt, the Medici family governed the city and had a focus on the arts and sciences, as well as an intricate banking system.

The Auditore coat of arms.

The city was also home to some of Italy's most notable figures, including Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, Niccolò Machiavelli, and the infamous Auditore family.

At some point after the year 1291, the Assassin Domenico Auditore and his son came to live in Florence, and adopted the name of Auditore. Under the guise of the Auditore, they quickly assimilated themselves into the city's nobility and became a well-respected and well-known family throughout Florence.

The city flourished during the reign of Lorenzo de' Medici, and during this rule great artists, philosophers, and others contributed to the city's development. Various architectural marvels blessed the streets of Florence, such as Santa Maria Novella, Piazza della Signoria, the Duomo, and the Ponte Vecchio. Despite its beauty, however, Florence did have enemies, like most other cities in the region.

Affiliations with the Roman Assassins Guild

During the early 16th century, Ezio Auditore sent his Apprentices from the Roman Assassins Guild to Florence several times to complete contracts. The contracts all varied in their details, but most were basic missions, such as delivering reports, stealing weapons, or delivering forged pardons. These missions usually gave the guild anywhere from 400 to 1000 florins, but the Apprentices themselves gained little experience from these minor tasks.

Later years

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An elderly Ezio with Shao Jun in Florence.

Sometime in 1514, an elderly Ezio Auditore returned to Florence with his wife, Sofia Sartor, and their two children, Flavia Auditore and Marcello Auditore. The family moved into a villa in the Florentine countryside, tending to the vineyards next to their house.

Landmarks

• Santa Maria Novella District
  • Mercato Vecchio
  • Santa Maria Novella
  • Basilica di San Lorenzo

The Mercato Vecchio in Florence.

• San Marco District
  • Bottega di Leonardo a Firenze
  • Palazzo Medici
  • Ospedale degli Innocenti
  • Basilica di Santa Croce
• San Giovanni District
  • Palazzo della Signoria
  • Santa Trinita
  • Palazzo Auditore
• Oltrarno District
  • Palazzo Pitti

Trivia

• The Battistero di San Giovanni is missing from the front of the main entrance to the Santa Maria del Fiore, despite being built several hundred years before the events of the game.
• Florence appears in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations as a multiplayer location.
• In Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, Florence is a location which Ezio could send his Assassin Apprentices to.
• Florence also appears in four of the Cristina Memories, the suppressed memories of Ezio's past.
• During the Bonfire of the Vanities sequence, the sky over Florence becomes covered by dark clouds, in contrast to how it used to be bright and vibrant during the Medici rule.

Gallery

• A map of Florence.
  A map of Florence.
• 
  Ezio surveying the area from atop a view point.
• 
  Ezio killing a guard along a Florentine rooftop.
• Florence, as seen from a bird's eye view.
  Florence, as seen from a bird's eye view.
• Ezio fleeing from guards in a typical Florentine street.
  Ezio fleeing from guards in a typical Florentine street.
• Florence, as it appears in the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer.
  Florence, as it appears in the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer.
• A map of Florence in the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer.
  A map of Florence in the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer.
• 
  A panoramic view of the city streets.