Florence is the Italian city associated with the protagonist’s first major assassination missions in Assassin’s Creed II. Ezio Auditore da Firenze grows up there and begins his transformation into an Assassin after a conspiracy destroys his family.
The game presents Florence during the Italian Renaissance and includes landmarks inspired by real places, including the Basilica of Santa Croce, the Palazzo Vecchio, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Ezio’s early activities in the city combine investigation, rooftop movement, combat, and contact with the local Assassin network.
Venice later becomes another major setting in Assassin’s Creed II, which can make the two cities easy to mix up. Rome is especially important in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, while Milan is not the principal early setting for Ezio’s story.