What you are about to read records events that actually took place. These are authentic documents that came to light after years of research which bear witness to the busy correspondence between key figures in the Italian Renaissance.
Print itinerary“I have given orders to send this missive only after my death. My assassin is searching for you, and I hope this information reaches you before he does. A man with a white hood has caused disorder during the public executions in piazza della Signoria, freeing the condemned and instigating the crowd. The guards followed him through the streets of my Florence, they blocked ponte Vecchio and closed off all escape routes along the Arno river. Outside Santa Maria Novella, they nearly caught him, but this individual was able to run off amidst the workshops and market stalls until he reached Santa Maria del Fiore. Undeterred by the arrows unleashed by my men, the fugitive scaled the cathedral’s polychrome marble and decorations, reaching the balcony on the summit and flinging himself like an eagle onto the side of Giotto’s bell tower. Once the guards had raced up the 392 steps to the top of the tower, the man had disappeared. Some of them claim to have seen his white hood disappear amidst the red roofs in the direction of Palazzo Vecchio. According to several informers, he is hiding outside the walls of Monteriggioni, however others believe he works out of the torre del Diavolo in San Gimignano. I gave orders to search these villages and, in a villa, I found a death threat addressed to me with a Venetian mask which has your name on it. These are the only clues that I have managed to gather, I hope for both of us that these words must never leave my desk.”
Signed
Francesco De' Pazzi
“His Excellency de’ Pazzi has been assassinated and his final words, regarding a killer with a white hood, have left me most concerned. I was staying in the Fortress of Castrocaro of Forlìwhen I began to experience a most uncomfortable sensation, as if I were never alone. I decided to cut my journey short and return to the canals of my Venice where the calm waters of the Lido have lulled my anxiety. However, several days ago, whilst walking the geometry of piazza San Marco, I noted a strange light flashing from the top of the bell tower as if someone were watching me with a telescope. I immediately asked the guards to check but they found nothing. Perhaps it was the sun reflecting off the golden statue of the Archangel Gabriel on the top. However, I do feel that there is something strange going on and not even the columns of San Marco and San Todaro, protectors of the quays, make me feel safe any longer. I searched for peace amidst the gilded mosaic architecture of St Mark’s Basilica but I felt the same uneasy presence return. I have been holed up in the Palazzo Ducale for days, protected by the inlaid colonnade and the guards’ constant vigilance. At times, I look out over the quay to see life on the lagoon and the merchants taking their gondolas to ponte della Paglia: at others, I go down into the inner courtyard to think, surrounded by the shadows of my predecessors. This evening, however, is Carnival, and nothing will stop me from seeing the city while masked, even if I have to mobilise the entire garrison. Attached to this letter is a bloody Roman coin found this morning on my desk. He may be changing direction and heading to Rome, be careful.”
Signed
Marco Barbarigo, 73rd Doge of the Venetian Republic
Diary of Rodrigo Borgia, Day 19
“Some time has already elapsed since the murders of Barbarigo and de’ Pazzi but there is still no trace of their assassin. I have recently had every stone in Rome overturned, the countryside has been searched and there are night patrols on the hills. The guards have searched every road of the city’s map, combed the banks of the Tiber, surrounded the Pantheon. They have waited like faithful gladiators for their challenger to appear in the Colosseum arena. I have also hidden soldiers in the vapours of Diocletian’s Baths and those of Caracalla, but all for naught. For safety, I sent troops down the underground tunnels of the Vatican, but nothing came up. There is no one in Rome who has heard of this assassin with the white hood. While the soldiers search the city, I have provided the most imposing guard of all in my defence, the fortress of Castel Sant’Angelo whose circular wall has been protecting me for almost three weeks now. By now I am convinced that the killer has finally called off his search and ….” The rest is illegible and blotted with blood.
This particular itinerary tracks the path of Ezio Auditore, a member of the order of Assassins and main character in Assassin’s Creed II and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. The Ubisoft developers tell the story of an adventure lost in time, where fictional characters are blended with those who really existed and whose invented storylines continue and expand on the real events that made the history of Italy. While the words you read here are a narrative artifice that aims to evoke the game’s atmosphere, all the places mentioned are real: a mosaic of stories and itineraries ready to be explored.
