Rome

Rome (Italian: Roma) was a major city in Renaissance Italy, capital of the Papal State and headquarters to the Italian sect of the Templar Order. Today it is the capital of the Italian Republic.

Roman era
You find the Apple of Eden underneath the coliseum as Desmond Miles after discover Ezio had left it there safely and securely from the Borgia. Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire and, was ruled by the Templars under the alias "Senatus Populusque Romanus", it also served as the headquarters for the Templar Order. In the year 41, the Assassin Leonius assassinated the Templar Caligula, whom he stabbed with a dagger in the city.

Renaissance era
The de facto capital of the Italian peninsula, as well as its largest city, Rome still, or again, was the headquarters of the Templars by the late 15th Century. In 1476, Rodrigo Borgia, Grand Master of the Knights Templar and a powerful figure in Vatican politics briefly left the city to discuss his Order's plans before returning to get Papal approval.

In 1492, Rodrigo Borgia became Pope Alexander VI, and head of the Papal State and Catholic Church. Ruling from Rome, he was left alone by the Assassins for the most part until 1499, when Ezio Auditore da Firenze learned that the location of The Vault was in Rome, beneath the Sistine Chapel. During his journey through Rome, Ezio did not visit any of Rome's shops, landmarks of notable locations, heading directly for his confrontation with Borgia, and then leaving.

Following the assault of Cesare Borgia on the Assassin headquarters of Monteriggioni, Ezio Auditore returned to Rome to exact his revenge, assuming control of Tiber Island. Rome in this time had fallen far behind its fellow cities of Florence and Venice, and grew stagnant in terms of development under the thumb of the Borgia. The Borgia maintained oppression over the city with the Borgia Towers located throughout Rome which prevented shops from opening. In order to free Rome of the Borgia's influence Ezio killed the overlords in the towers and burned the towers to the ground. The city overall is three times the size of Florence (Oltrarno District included). In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio's apprentices are sent to different countries in Europe and join Ezio in Rome. Also it is revealed that instead of renovating one villa like in Assassin's Creed II, you will be able to renovate all of Rome. The city is split into 5 districts; Downtown, Antique, Tiber, Country, and Vatican, and 12 territories, each one controlled by a Borgia Tower.

Landmarks
Landmarks in Rome included the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Passetto di Borgo, Castel Sant'Angelo and Sistine Chapel. Smaller landmarks such as the Trevi Fountain and the Circus Maximus are also located here.

Trivia

 * The city of Rome will be the largest city ever seen in an Assassin's Creed game. It will be three times larger than Florence, which features in Assassin's Creed II.
 * In Brotherhood, the padlock icons on the map of Rome represent shops that have been closed down by the Borgia.
 * Rome may be three times bigger than Florence, but in an interview with one of the developers, he said Rome was four times bigger than Venice. This is most likely an error, as Venice was of comparable size to Florence (if all four of the latter's districts were counted).
 * In the game, the city is tilted roughly 15 degrees to the right from real life.
 * While historically Rome and Florence's architecture at the time were similar, game developers designed Rome with its later Baroque style to be more familiar to gamers.

Assassin's Creed II

 * Rodrigo Borgia (DNA Sequence 14: The Vault)