Rome

"Roma is the pillar that holds our entire enterprise aloft. She cannot waver; which means neither can you."

- Cesare Borgia to his allies.

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.

The Beginning of an Empire
According to legend, two brothers were given a choice, the money or the kingdom; one chose the kingdom while the other chose the money. Both of the brothers had two fine daughters. One brother used his money to hire mercenaries, and stole the kingdom from his brother, the King, imprisoning the King's daughter in the process. Whilst imprisoned, she gave birth to twin boys (Romulus and Remus).

The new king ordered that her and the children be killed; however, the daughter of the new king pleaded that her cousin be spared, so the new king ordered that only the twins be executed, while the daughter be spared. The servants feared the river because of high-tide and so, instead of drowning the twins, they simply placed them near the shallow section of the river, thinking they would still die when the tide came in.

The twins floated down the river until they were found and cared for by a wolf and a bird. A shepherd saw the twins and, remembering a rumor about the twins surviving; he took care of them and raised them as his own until the old king heard of the twins. Together they reclaimed the city, and when their grandfather asked them to guard over the city and become it's rulers they refused the offer, as they believed it was their grandfather's kingdom, not theirs; so they decided to build their own city, Rome.

Roman era
Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire, and was ruled by the Templars under the alias "Senatus Populusque Romanus."

On the 15th March 45 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar was killed by the Assassins, led by Marcus Junius Brutus.

In the year 41, the Assassin Leonius assassinated the Templar Caligula in Rome, whom he stabbed with a dagger.

Renaissance era
In 1476, Rodrigo Borgia, Grand Master of the Templar Order and a powerful figure in Vatican politics briefly left the city to discuss his Order's plans, before returning to affirm Papal approval. Assent was given, and the Templars were provided with military support for their endeavors.

In 1492, Rodrigo 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 Vault was located in Rome, beneath the Sistine Chapel.

In 1500, following the Siege by Cesare Borgia on the Assassin headquarters of Monteriggioni, Ezio Auditore returned to Rome to exact his revenge. Rome at the time, had fallen far behind its fellow cities of Florence and Venice, and grown stagnant in terms of development under the influence of the Borgia.

The Borgia maintained oppression over the city with Borgia Towers located throughout Rome, which prevented shops from opening. In order to free Rome of the Borgia influence, Ezio killed the overlords of the towers and burned the structures themselves to the ground.

Additionally, due to the loss of Monteriggioni, Ezio established the Assassins Guild in Rome, and set up its headquarters on Tiber Island. By recruiting several Roman Civilians as Apprentice Assassins, the Assassin Order worked to free Rome of the Templar control.

Structure
The city is divided into 4 districts: Centro, Antico, Campagna, and Vaticano District. With the exception of the Vaticano district, these are also subdivided into 12 territories, each one controlled by a Borgia Tower.

Landmarks in Rome included the Pantheon, the Colosseo, the Passetto di Borgo, the Castel Sant'Angelo and Cappella Sistina.

Assassin's Creed II

 * Rodrigo Borgia (DNA Sequence 14: The Vault)

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

 * Juan Borgia (DNA Sequence 5: The Banker)
 * Octavian de Valois (DNA Sequence 6: The Baron de Valois)
 * Micheletto Corella (DNA Sequence 7: The Key to the Castello)

Trivia

 * The city of Rome is the largest city ever seen in an Assassin's Creed game. It is three times larger than Florence, which is featured in Assassin's Creed II.
 * 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.
 * The area where Ezio climbed up to the Castello from the river in Assassin's Creed II seems to be missing in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
 * For unknown reasons, the buildings seen north of the Passetto di Borgo in Assassin's Creed II are missing in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.