Villa Auditore
The Villa Auditore was a familial home and stronghold of the Auditore family, located within the city of Monteriggioni, in Toscana. Constructed by Domenico Auditore in 1290, the Villa remained home to the Auditore family up until the turn of the 16th century, when it was heavily damaged during the Siege of Monteriggioni.
During the ownership of Mario Auditore, the Villa became rundown and in desperate need of repair; the arrival of his nephew – Ezio Auditore da Firenze – in 1476, heralded a rebirth for not only the Villa, but the city of Monteriggioni as well. However, during the events of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Moteriggioni was attacked by Cesare de Borgia and Villa Auditore fell once again into disrepair. In 2012, Desmond Miles, Lucy Stillman, Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings go to Villa Auditore and occupy the Santuary as a hideout after the previous location they used was comprimised by Abstergo. In Brotherhood, the player has to find a way into the Santuary as the conventional way through the front door is blocked, and upon further exploration of the grounds in modern times, we can see that the damage made by the attack is still there, but has been borded up, so it is safe to assume that Villa Auditore has never again been occupied, but has been boarded up to meet housing regulations or to stop rain going inside the villa. Also, in a modern day mission in Brotherhood, the player has to repair power boxes to restore electricity to the villa, once again showing that the city of Monteriggioni has been modernised.
History
Domenico Auditore, who built the Villa in 1290, designed the Villa not only as a home, but as a fortress and training ground for the town. The building itself was filled with hidden compartments and rooms, whilst the grounds catered to a number of different uses.[1] In 1296, Domenico constructed the Auditore Family Crypt; although initially unconnected, the construction of an escape route from within the Villa brought the two constructions together.[2]
In 1320 a Florentine attack left the facade damaged. A new facade was erected and a painting gallery was subsequently added to the interior.[1]
By 1436, the Villa hosted the newest generation of Auditore assassins; the brothers Mario and Giovanni. 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. Despite his love for the Villa, it fell into disrepair along with the city it protected, due to him spending his money on war.
In 1476, Mario's nephew, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, as well as his mother and Claudia Auditore da Firenze, came seeking shelter in Monteriggioni. Following the execution of Giovanni and his brothers, Ezio had become wanted in Florence. Ezio intended to take his mother and sister to Spain, to Mario's protest.[1]
Ezio decided to stay instead in Monteriggioni and seek revenge on those responsible for the execution. Ezio became, in effect, co-ruler of Monteriggioni, and was the one responsible for the renovation of the town.[1]
Although the exact length of time it took for the Villa to be rebuilt is unknown, by December 1499 it was once again an opulent structure, as well as the headquarters of the Assassin Order in Italy.
On January 2nd 1500, however, the Papal forces, led by Cesare Borgia besieged Monteriggioni, devastating the town and Villa and killing Mario.[3] The Villa was abandoned for at least 7 years, as Ezio, his now elderly mother and sister left the ruins of Monteriggioni to wage war against the House of Borgia in Rome.
However, sometime before 1554, possibly in Ezio's lifetime, the Auditore resiezed control of Monteriggioni, presumably reparing the Villa, too. In 1554, however, the Auditore were betrayed by Giovannino Zeti, keeper of the garrison and a Florentine exile, who gave the keys to the city to the Medici. The Medici conquered Monteriggioni, they allowed the Auditore to continue ruling the city due to the families' good relationship.[1]
On the ninth of September 2012, Desmond Miles, Lucy Stillman, Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings set up a temporary base of operations within the Sanctuary beneath the Villa Auditore, by then in disrepair once again; during their stay the Assassins lived within the Villa, coming out only to collect provisions. They left for Rome on October 10.[3]
Rooms
The Villa Auditore had a multitude of rooms, some hidden.[1] Below is a list of known rooms;
- Main hall
- The Armory, with a room dedicated to weapons and armor each
- Mario's study
- Maria's room
- The painting gallery
- Ezio's room and study
- The Sanctuary
Trivia
- The glyph on the wall of the villa is a barcode, incorporated with the number 12212012. This presumably represents the end date of the Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012. That date is also when Abstergo Industries, the modern day Knights Templar, will launch a communications satellite containing at least one Piece of Eden.
Appearances
Notes and references