Desmond Miles's ancestor who appears in Renaissance Italy in Assassin's Creed is Ezio Auditore.
Ezio is the central character of Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. He begins as a young Florentine nobleman in 1476, but his life changes after members of his family are executed through a political conspiracy. He then becomes involved with the Italian Assassin Brotherhood.
His story spans several decades and locations, including Florence, Venice, Monteriggioni, Rome, and Constantinople. Unlike Altaïr, who is already an Assassin at the start of his game, Ezio is introduced before he has any formal training. His development from aristocratic teenager to experienced Mentor is a major part of the trilogy.
Ezio is sometimes confused with Desmond, the modern-day character who relives ancestral memories through the Animus. Desmond is not the Renaissance protagonist; Ezio is the historical figure whose memories Desmond experiences. Ezio also appears in the short animated film Assassin's Creed: Embers, which follows his later life.