In Assassin's Creed II, Ezio Auditore calls Florence home at the beginning of the game.
Florence is the opening major setting for Ezio's story, which begins in 15th-century Italy during the Renaissance. Ezio is introduced as a young Florentine nobleman before a conspiracy destroys his family and sends him on a path toward the Assassin Brotherhood.
The game later expands beyond Florence to other Italian locations, including Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, Forlì, Venice, and Rome. This progression sometimes causes players to associate Ezio most strongly with Venice, but Florence is his birthplace and the first principal city in his campaign.
Florence is also historically significant as a center of Renaissance art, banking, and politics. Assassin's Creed II uses recognizable landmarks and public spaces to make the city a major part of its historical-fiction setting.