The opening sequence of Assassin's Creed II is set in Florence.
Florence introduces players to Ezio Auditore's family, social world, and early transformation. The city is portrayed during the Italian Renaissance, when it was a major center of banking, art, politics, and intellectual life. Ezio's family home and several important early missions are located there.
The game later expands to other locations, including Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, Forlì, Venice, and the Vatican area of Rome. Because Venice becomes a major later setting, some players remember it as the game's opening city, but Ezio's story begins in Florence.
Florence's historical figures and landmarks are integrated into the fiction. Leonardo da Vinci assists Ezio, while the Medici family forms part of the game's political background. The city therefore serves both as a tutorial environment and as the foundation of Ezio's personal story.