La Volpe

"They call me many things: Murderer. Tagliagole (Cutthroat). Thief. But you may call me La Volpe."

- La Volpe introducing himself.

Gilberto, or La Volpe (English: The Fox), as he preferred to be known, was the leader of the Florentine and Roman thieves, and a member of the Assassin Order. Very little information is known about La Volpe, and any that is seems mythical.

Myths
There are multiple myths regarding La Volpe and his abilities as a thief. He was said to have robbed the Papal carriage without any guards noticing him, including the Pope who was obviously sitting inside.

In 1467, during a night in Florence, he was seen on the rooftops of the Palazzo della Signoria, the Palazzo Medici, and the Basilica di Santa Croce all at the same time. It was said that he was an immortal and could see through buildings. His eyes were also said to be purple.

Helping Ezio Auditore
In 1477, La Volpe was informed that Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the son of the late Assassin Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, was returning to Florence to assassinate the Templar Francesco de' Pazzi. Ezio was told by his friend, Leonardo da Vinci, that La Volpe would be able to assist him with this matter. Upon hearing this, Ezio searched for La Volpe in the Mercato Vecchio.

Whilst looking for the legendary rogue, a thief quickly pickpocketed Ezio and fled. Ezio was able to catch up with him, but as he demanded his money back, La Volpe appeared and returned the stolen money, saying that he would be willing to aid him if the Assassin could keep up with his freerunning skills. La Volpe then led Ezio to the Santa Maria Novella, where the Pazzi conspirators were to convene later that day.

La Volpe waited for Ezio near to the sewers, from where he would later emerge after eavesdropping on the Templar meeting. Ezio informed him that they were planning to kill the Medici during High Mass, in order to claim Florence for themselves, and install their politicians in charge. La Volpe replied that it would be disastrous if Lorenzo de' Medici were to be killed, as he was a powerful ally of the Assassins, though Ezio assured him that he would not allow him to die.

Acquisition of the Apple of Eden
In 1488, La Volpe and the other Assassins from Florence met in Venice to acquire the Apple of Eden from Rodrigo Borgia, the Grand Master of the Templar Order. When they arrived at Rodrigo's location, they saw him fighting with Ezio Auditore, and promptly intervened to help Ezio defeat him and his men. Eventually, Rodrigo fled, and left the Apple behind with the Assassins. After answering many queries from Ezio, they proceeded to induct him into the Assassin Order, with each member (including La Volpe) performing a Leap of Faith afterwards.

Bonfire of the Vanities
In 1494, Florence was taken over by Girolamo Savonarola, who had stolen the Apple from Ezio after an incident in Forlì.

In 1497, La Volpe and Paola, a fellow Assassin, and the leader of the Florentine courtesans, were contacted by Niccolò Machiavelli to help him liberate the citizens, after Ezio assassinated each of Girolamo Savonarola's lieutenants. After the lieutenants were eliminated, La Volpe, Paola, Machiavelli, and Ezio gathered in front of the Palazzo Pitti to see the angry mob stand up to Savonarola. Savonarola, however, tried to control the crowd with the Apple, but it was quickly knocked out of his hand by a knife thrown by Ezio.

La Volpe and the others gathered once more to witness Savonarola's execution, though Ezio reconsidered, and decided that he should not have to suffer the pain and humiliation of being burned alive in front of a crowd of people. Thus he hurried towards the flames, and assassinated him before he began to burn. He then gave a speech, and, looking towards the other Assassins, approvingly spoke of how he had been guided to his own path by "a few strangers."

Finding the Vault
In 1499, La Volpe gathered with the same Assassins he had met with in Venice in the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni to unveil the location of the Vault. Through the Codex pages, they discovered that the Vault was located in Rome, and that it was in fact the true reason that Rodrigo Borgia had become Pope, as he could obtain the Staff of Eden. They then traveled to Rome, where they created a distraction for the Borgia forces, while Ezio infiltrated the Sistine Chapel.

Liberating Rome
After the Assassins returned from Rome, Monteriggioni was besieged by the Borgia, and as a result, the Assassin Mario Auditore was killed by Cesare Borgia. After this, some members of the Assassin Order, including La Volpe, traveled to Rome to dispose of the Borgia's influence there. When Ezio found him in Rome, he was the leader of a Thieves Guild, just as he had been in Florence, but unlike in Florence, he refused to cooperate with Niccolò Machiavelli, calling him a traitor to the Assassin cause.

La Volpe believed that Machiavelli had betrayed them and had sided with the Borgia, since Machiavelli had left Monteriggioni the night before the siege, as well as later stating that he suspected him of being behind an attack on the Roman Thieves Guild. However, Ezio later found the real traitor at the Colosseum, who happened to be a thief that remained behind at the siege of Monteriggioni, and quickly rushed off to keep La Volpe from killing Machiavelli. Ezio arrived just in time to inform him of the situation, and when La Volpe realized he was mistaken, he immediately concealed his weapon and grew warmer to an oblivious Machiavelli, greeting him as a friend and ally.

La Volpe was also present during Claudia Auditore's induction into the Assassin Order, and the battle against Cesare's remaining followers before his arrest.

Personality and characteristics
La Volpe was a very agile man, able to out-perform Ezio in freerunning despite being quite older. He was the epitome of an Assassin, working in the shadows, so much so that his existence was considered to be a myth.

La Volpe seemed to be quite wary of those who had not earned his full trust, immediately suspecting his fellow Assassin Niccolò Machiavelli of treachery as soon as he began working suspiciously. However, he completely trusted Ezio, deeming him worthy of such faith after working at his side on several occasions.

La Volpe was shown to be very fond of his thieves, often going off to defend them should they be in danger, and even asking Ezio to aid them through several assignments.

Trivia

 * The "la" in La Volpe's name refers only to the fact that "volpe," the Italian word for fox, is a feminine noun. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean "vixen."
 * As there is no record of his actual name, the database files simply note that "La Volpe" is his pseudonym, one he gained since it was said that only a fox could match his cunning.
 * It is only in the novels Assassin's Creed: Renaissance and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood that his name is revealed to be Gilberto. Nevertheless, he tells Ezio he would prefer to be called "La Volpe."
 * In Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, he is referred to as Gilberto the fox.

Equipment

 * La Volpe is shown using a butcher knife as his primary weapon during the fight against Rodrigo.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, La Volpe uses a crossbow with expert proficiency in both long-ranged and melee combat.
 * Like all other supporting Assassins in the game, La Volpe does not wear the trademark hidden blade.
 * In Assassin's Creed II, La Volpe is the only other Assassin besides Ezio who has a hood on, one of the most iconic features of the Assassins. The hood he wears, however, is neither white nor cut in the shape of an eagle's beak.
 * Despite possessing it for a long time until given to Ezio, La Volpe is never seen using his sword in combat.

Skill

 * When Ezio travels with him to the Santa Maria Novella, Ezio falls behind and runs out of breath, while La Volpe breathes normally. This seems to suggest that even though he is older, he has far more stamina than a young man like Ezio.
 * La Volpe has accomplished a feat that Ezio cannot, in being seen atop the Palazzo Medici (one of the few rooftops which cannot be reached).

Other

 * Il Lupo shares certain characteristics with La Volpe; such as the style of his cloak and hood, and the format of his name.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, La Volpe does not seem to have aged at all, and in fact, actually seems to have fewer wrinkles on his face than in Assassin's Creed II.
 * A glitch occurs in the PS3 version of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, during "The Fighter, the Lover and the Thief" Sequence, wherein La Volpe can be seen in two places at once. At the end of the thief memory, after Ezio rescues Claudio, La Volpe can be found sitting on a bench next to La Volpe Addormentata; however, he can also be located on the roof of the building from which he and Ezio spied on Machiavelli at the beginning of the memory.