Giovanni Auditore da Firenze

"I am Giovanni Auditore, and like my ancestors before me, I am an Assassin."

Giovanni Auditore da Firenze (1436 - 1476) is the father of Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He's a nobleman, working as a banker for the Medici, but his true face is the one of an Assassin. He was raised and trained along with his brother Mario as an Assassin, and has been aware of the Templars for almost all his life. He also knows his son's skill: the Eagle Vision. Giovanni is the main character of the three Assassin's Creed world-based short films: Assassin's Creed: Lineage. Beside his brother, he has a wife, Maria Auditore, three sons (Ezio, Federico and Petruccio) and a daughter Claudia. He is portrayed by Romano Orzari. He is a descendant of Altair and an ancestor of Desmond Miles.

Assassin's Creed: Lineage
Giovanni Auditore is a Florentine nobleman living in 15th century Italy: the Renaissance. But he is also an Assassin, a descendant of Altair. He serves for the powerful Lorenzo de' Medici and justice. In 1476, a conspiracy is made to overthrow Lorenzo and the Medici family from their position. One night, hiding from his family, Giovanni is about to execute a mission for his master. He intercepts in the dark streets of Florence, Rodrigo Borgia and three of his men. Rodrigo flees but Giovanni manages to capture one of his men. He bring him to Lorenzo, and the prisoner reveals through torture than the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza will be assassinated in the church during the feast of Santo Stefano (the day after Christmas or Boxing Day). Giovanni heads to Milan, but arrives too late as he sees through the crowds the assassination of Sforza. The murders are all killed by Giovanni and one of Sforza's guards. After his mission, Giovanni goes back to his nest seeing his family. He then meditates on the death of Sforza and its consequences.

Observing the Ducat he looted from one of Sforza's murderers, he understands that his next quest will lead him to Venice. He immediately goes to the floating city, infiltrating the Palazzo Ducale. There, he spies the conversation between the Barbarigo cousins. A messenger leaves the room he was watching, and is charged by Marco to deliver the message to Rome. Giovanni tails him by the rooftops and once arrived in a quite place, he attempts to assassinate him from above which fails, leading him to enter in combat against him. After a harsh fighting, he manages to take advantage and threatens to kill the messenger if he does not reveal his masters' plotting. The man refuses, prefering to keep his secrets until death. Giovanni kills him and takes the letter he was carrying. He brings it to Lorenzo. The letter is encrypted, and Uberto Alberti suggests Giovanni to take some rest while he makes it decoded by father Maffei. Once the letter decoded, Uberto tells Maffei to keep quiet about the success of the letter's decoding, and sends him to bring Giovanni. It is night in Florence, Giovanni kisses tenderly his wife Maria before leaving his home, under the peeping of their son Ezio (which they know). Ezio asks him what a "banker" is doing so late at night out of his home. Giovanni replies "business call". Ezio insists he wants to go with him, but Giovanni refuses as he affirms he is already helping him "more than he knows". Uberto pretends they weren't able to decode the letter and suggests to deliver an exact copy of the letter in order to find the leaders of the conspiracy. Giovanni accepts the mission as he knows where it must be delivered. Giovanni leaves Florence for Rome...

Once arrived in Rome, Giovanni gives the letter to a man. Then, it travels from hand to hand until arriving at its final destination: in the hands of Rodrigo Borgia. Rodrigo brings the message to Pope Sixtus IV and try to get a military support from him. While not agreeing at first, he eventually accepts. Satisfied, Rodrigo leaves him and walks in the streets of Rome while followed by the Assassin, Giovanni. He eventually notices his presence and manages to attract him into a church. Rodrigo proposes him to join his side, but Giovanni refuses. Rodrigo then leaves him to his men. Giovanni wins the intense combat where he loses his Hidden Blade, but he eventually gets hit by a throwing knife from Rodrigo which badly wounds him. He escapes again, while Giovanni is taking out the knife from his chest, lying on the ground. Back in Florence, his wife treats his wound. Giovanni is worried, he fears that the murder of Sforza was just a beginning of a conspiracy that will strike Florence. Federico, the eldest son suddenly warns his parents of the arrival of the father Maffei, with armed guards. Giovanni prefers to leave discretely and tells his son to buy him some time. Giovanni quit the house by a secret passage. While walking around the dark streets of Florence, he sees his son Ezio flirting with a girl. He managed to disappear before his son could see him (though he most likely sensed his presence).

"My dear sons, dark skies are rising over Florence and time is running low. The enemy is closer than I thought. Now, the final battle is about to enfold. Every man is mortal, every life bounds to an end but certain things will never change. Federico and Ezio, my sons, always remember: WE are the Auditore di Firenze and WE are Assassins."

Assassin's Creed II
Giovanni Auditore is first seen in Assassin's Creed II at Ezio's birth sequence in the Animus (1.0), in which he holds Ezio in his arms and remarks that he is a born fighter. After Desmond enters the Animus 2.0, Giovanni is seen once again at the Auditore's house, where he is proud that Ezio reminds him of himself when he was younger. Giovanni then gives Ezio two separate quests (Paperboy & Special Delivery) in Memory Block 1. Soon after completing the quests, guards take Giovanni and his sons, Federico & Petruccio, to prison for being accused of treason. Ezio soon ventures to the prison window that they are being detained in for answers of their imprisonment, but Giovanni instead tasks his son to find the hidden room inside of his office (Which hides his Assassin gear) and take everything that he finds. Shortly after Ezio arrives at where the execution takes place, Uberto declares Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio guilty of treason, therefore executed, becoming victims of a conspiracy. His execution has driven Ezio into the life of an Assassin and Maria into silence.

Trivia

 * Giovanni's ring finger remains intact due to improvements to the hidden blade and changes to the tactics and traditions of the Assassin order made by Altaïr after the events of the first game. It is revealed during Ezio's Assassins Ceremony that instead of removing the ring finger, it is instead burned in the form of a ring.
 * Giovanni died before telling Ezio (as well as his youngest son, Petruccio, and daughter Claudia) of their assassin heritage which disappointed his brother, Mario.
 * Giovanni's close friendship with the Medicis began when he saved young Lorenzo's life from drowning.