San Gimignano

San Gimignano is a city that is located in the Tuscany region of Italy, and was the site of a medieval fortress during the Renaissance. Numerous watch towers and monasteries, as well as tall towers that resembled skyscrapers, characterized 15th century San Gimignano.

History[edit | edit source]

Early development[edit | edit source]

Named after Saint Geminianus, who supposedly conjured up a dense fog to save the city of Modena from Attila the Hun, San Gimignano was founded in the 3rd century. The city grew from the 10th century onward as a stopping point along the pilgrimage route to Rome.^[1]

In 1199, once its citizens had grown wealthy, San Gimignano separated from the bishops of Volterra and became self-governing. The city's distinctive towers were created in the competition between its wealthy citizens, who wished to display how much money they had. In its prime, the city had 72 towers.^[1]

However, the plague of 1348 decimated San Gimignano. Without money for upkeep, the town began to fall apart. The council appealed to Florence for help, and Florence took control.^[1]

Pazzi conspiracy[edit | edit source]

In 1478, the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore traveled to San Gimignano to spy on a clandestine Italian Templar meeting, and to kill Vieri de' Pazzi with the assistance of his uncle Mario's mercenaries.^[2]

The Templars present at the meeting, including Grand Master Rodrigo Borgia, Francesco de' Pazzi, Jacopo de' Pazzi, and Vieri, discussed the plot to end the House of Medici and take control of Florence. Once the meeting had ended and all that remained were Vieri and his guards, Mario and his mercenaries attacked them in a large open courtyard. Meanwhile, Ezio climbed the ramparts overlooking the courtyard and dueled with Vieri, eventually killing him.^[2]

Hunting the conspirators[edit | edit source]

After Ezio assassinated Vieri, he returned to Florence, where he met with Lorenzo de' Medici and acquired the identities of the remaining Templar conspirators, two of whom had taken refuge in San Gimignano.^[3]

Upon entering the city, Ezio met with one of Mario's mercenaries, who informed him that the monk Antonio Maffei had fortified himself atop one of the tallest towers in the city, and had surrounded himself with archers. Ezio made his way up the tower, eliminating guards and archers as he climbed higher. He eventually assassinated Maffei on top of the tower, slaying the first of the two conspirators within the city.^[4]

The second of Ezio's targets in San Gimignano was the banker Bernardo Baroncelli, who escaped from prison and remained hidden within the city. When Ezio located Bernardo, he was roaming the city with a group of guards around him, as he had grown paranoid of the Assassin after hearing of Maffei's death. Ezio still managed to assassinate Bernardo, however, and escaped from his guards.^[5]

After killing all the conspirators and finding out the location of Jacopo de' Pazzi, Ezio traveled to the church Santa Maria Assunta to tail Jacopo to another Templar meeting. Ezio followed him to the Antico Teatro Romano ruins just outside of San Gimignano. There, Jacopo met up with two other Templars, Emilio Barbarigo and Rodrigo Borgia, and the three discussed the failed plot to overthrow the Medici. Rodrigo blamed Jacopo for the failure of the operation and stabbed him, leaving him to die.^[6]

Rodrigo then swiftly had his guards capture Ezio, who had been spying on their meeting. Rodrigo claimed that he had expected Ezio to follow, and ordered his guards to kill the Assassin while he escaped with Emilio. However, Ezio stabbed the two soldiers restraining him and dispatched the remaining guards. Ezio then ended a dying Jacopo's suffering with his Hidden Blade before returning to Florence and informing Lorenzo of his success in the city.^[6]

Landmarks[edit | edit source]

Trivia[edit | edit source]

In Assassin's Creed II, San Gimignano, along with the Apennine Mountains, were the only locations where assumed couples could be seen engaging in arguments.
Even after synchronizing all of the viewpoints in San Gimignano, a small area to the left in the middle of the map remained unsynchronized. This part, however, is visible on the fast travel map.
Curiously, Medici guards remain here during Sequence 13, rather than being replaced by Girolamo Savonarola's guards like their Florentine counterparts. This is an understandable oversight as players are directed to complete the assassinations in Florence, thereby ensuring Medici control over San Gimignano once again.
In reality, there is no Roman amphitheater near San Gimignano. The Antico Teatro Romano appears to be modeled after an amphitheater in Volterra instead.