Venice

Venice (Italian: Venezia), is a city located in northern Italy. During the 15th century, Venice was the capital and largest city of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, and consisted of five districts (or sestieri): San Polo, San Marco, Dorsoduro, Castello, and Cannaregio.
Originally founded by refugees from the and Germanic invasion of , , and , Venice developed into a major trade and naval power in southern Europe, becoming one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and by the year 1499, it was engaged in sporadic conflict with the Ottoman Empire.
==History==
===Establishment===
Likely established sometime around the late 7th century, Venice's lagoon-locked location was the result of Byzantine settlers attempting to hide from invaders. By the Middle Ages, the city had grown into a great naval power. Its strategic position at the top of the Adriatic also meant that ships taking goods inland had to go through Venice, filling its coffers with money and commerce.Assassin's Creed II – Database: Venezia
Entering the late Middle Ages, Venice exercised influence over both its neighboring states and the Church. When the Fourth Crusade rolled around in 1202, the crusaders required transport on Venice's ships, which the Venetian Doge, Enrico Dandolo, agreed to, on the condition that the crusaders retake the Dalmatian city of Zadar and then capture Constantinople.
As Venice's wealth grew, so did its fleet. Through sea battles, Venice gained Byzantine territory, Hungarian territory, and destroyed the Genoese fleet. Venice's fortunes were so entwined with the sea that every year the Doge would throw a ring into the lagoon while saying in Latin: "We wed thee, sea, in the sign of the true and everlasting Lord." Despite much controversy about the morality of a relationship between humans and the sea, the marriage was sanctioned by the Pope.
As early as the 13th century, Venice had a notable Assassin presence; the area surrounding Venice was home to an Assassin and his son, Domenico. Both enjoyed the patronage of the famed explorer Marco Polo, an ally of the Assassins.Assassin's Creed II - Auditore Family Crypt Assassins remained present in the city up into the 15th century, occupying positions of command amongst the thieves, mercenaries, and courtesans of the city.
===Templar underground===
After the Templar-orchestrated assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza in 1476, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze departed for Venice after finding a Venetian coin in Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani's possession.Assassin's Creed: Lineage
Arriving in Venice, Giovanni Auditore assassinated a guard at the Doge's residence, the Palazzo Ducale, and made his way inside the building. Once inside, Giovanni spied on a meeting between two members of the Barbarigo family and a courier, who was set to carry a letter to their master.
Giovanni tailed the courier through the city streets, eventually attacking him in a deserted square. Following this, Giovanni fought fiercely with the courier, and eventually pressed his Hidden Blade to the courier's neck, demanding to know what his masters were plotting. However, the courier claimed that his life was not Giovanni's to take, and that his secrets would be gone with himself.
The courier then told Giovanni to "go to Hell", before impaling himself on the Assassin's blade. Giovanni then took the letter that the courier had in his possession and departed from the city.
===Templar allegiances===
Following the Templars' failure to usurp control of Florence during the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478, Grand Master Rodrigo Borgia and his allies – the Barbarigo family – stepped up their plans to take control of Venice.Assassin's Creed II – Road Trip
Influencing powerful members of the Venetian government, such as Carlo Grimaldi, the Templars built up a network of allegiances in the city. However, these allegiances were severed as an Assassin, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, began to hunt these members of the Templar Order throughout Venice.
===Hunting the Templars===
Ezio Auditore arrived in the city in 1481, and quickly allied himself with the Thieves Guild based in Venice, before he and the thieves gradually proceeded with a plan to assassinate the powerful Venetian merchant, Emilio Barbarigo.Assassin's Creed II – BenvenutoAssassin's Creed II – That's Gonna Leave a Mark
Once their preparations had been completed, Ezio left for the Palazzo della Seta, the residence of Emilio. Before slaying the corrupt merchant, however, Ezio observed Emilio meeting with a government official, who informed the former of a Templar gathering to take place in three days at Santo Stefano.Assassin's Creed II – Everything Must Go
After assassinating Emilio, Ezio tailed the Templar meeting and overheard discussions of a plan to assassinate the Doge of Venice, Giovanni Mocenigo.Assassin's Creed II – Birds of a Feather Confused and worried, Ezio decided to meet with Antonio de Magianis, leader of the thieves in Venice, and the two attempted to get Ezio inside of the Doge's palace using a Flying Machine created by Leonardo da Vinci.Assassin's Creed II – If At First You Don't Succeed...Assassin's Creed II – Infrequent Flier
However, the Assassin was unable to reach the Doge in time to prevent his death, but Ezio did manage to assassinate a fleeing Carlo Grimaldi. After this ordeal, the Templars placed one of their own, Marco Barbarigo, in control of Venice.Assassin's Creed II – Knowledge Is Power
Once brought in as the new Doge, Marco was remarked to be a terrible leader that never left his Palazzo, for fear of the Assassins. Marco could not evade the Assassin forever though, and in 1486, he hosted an annual private ball on Carnevale, for select guests chosen by the Doge. However, there was a Golden Mask that allowed one person entrance to the private party, as long as they were able to win it through a series of games.Assassin's Creed II – Nun the Wiser
With this in mind, another one of Ezio's allies in the city, Teodora Contanto, brought Ezio to the Carnevale games, where he competed in four different games, utilizing his special skills to win each game.Assassin's Creed II – And They're OffAssassin's Creed II – CTFAssassin's Creed II – Ribbon Round-UpAssassin's Creed II – Cheaters Never Prosper Despite his victory, Silvio Barbarigo and his bodyguard, Dante Moro, knew of Ezio's plan, and bribed the host of the games to give the mask to Dante. Angry and desperate, Ezio then headed back and met with Teodora and Antonio, who advised him to steal the mask off of Dante, rather than Ezio's idea of killing him.Assassin's Creed II – Having a Blast
After stealing the golden mask, Ezio headed for the Doge's party, and was allowed in without any hesitation by the guards. However, Dante arrived just after Ezio and searched the crowd, unsuccessfully, for the Assassin. Ezio then emerged as Marco spoke on a boat offshore, and shot him with his Hidden Gun.
Following the assassination of Marco Barbarigo and the ascension to power of his brother, Agostino Barbarigo, an ally of the Assassins, Ezio began to search for Silvio Barbarigo, cousin to Agostino, and his bodyguard Dante Moro. Ezio learned that the two had barricaded themselves within a shipyard with two hundred mercenaries accompanying them.Assassin's Creed II – An Unpleasant Turn of Events In need of support and an ally, Ezio freed the notorious Venetian fighter and strategist, Bartolomeo d'Alviano, from a small prison in the military district, and the two plotted to rid the city of Silvio and Dante.Assassin's Creed II – Caged Fighter
After discussing a plan to kill both Silvio and Dante, Ezio liberated Bartolomeo's captured mercenaries, and then set them up in strategic points around the city, in order to create chaos and cause Silvio to dispatch some of his men.Assassin's Creed II – Leave No Man BehindAssassin's Creed II – Assume the Position With Silvio's mercenaries engaged in battles around the city, Bartolomeo and Ezio attacked the arsenal, with Bartolomeo battling Dante and Ezio fending off the guards at the gates. Eventually, Silvio ordered Dante back to the shipyard and sent out his reinforcements, as their Templar ship was about to set sail. However, Bartolomeo and his men fought off Silvio's reinforcements, and bought Ezio enough time to assassinate the two Templars.Assassin's Creed II – Two Birds, One Blade
Although Venice was finally freed from its Templar oppression, Ezio learned from a dying Dante that the Templar plot to acquire Venice had merely been a distraction for the Assassins, so that the Templars might safely dispatch their vessel to Cyprus.Assassin's Creed II – All Things Come to He Who Waits
===Guila's Task===
In the 1480’s, the Italian Assassin Guila visited Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop in Venice and received a small device requested by Ezio Auditore to help her with locating an item, even if she did not know what the item specifically was. Not being from Venice, she asked Leonardo for some more guidance, but he was too busy with commissions to help her. However, the map he had made to help Ezio locate the item was enough for her, and she left after thanking the inventor.
While on the streets she encountered a Templar by mere chance and chased him down. She tracked him down to a building but found no way inside before the front door swung open, and six men wearing masks walked out. Though she had lost her target, she managed to deduce that the item she and Ezio were after had to be in the Basilica di San Marco.
Sometime later Guila arrived at the Piazza San Marco, and noticed a couple of Templar guards keeping people from entering the church, prompting her to find another way in, she entered through an open window and stay on the rafters. Giulia spotted the Templar she saw earlier search for something and assassinated him when he passed beneath her. As he died, he revealed the existence of treasure in the hidden vault beneath the Basilica. Giulia found a puzzle contraption behind a nearby tapestry and solved it, causing the wall to move inward and the vault to open to her. In the vault's main chamber, a hologram of the Isu scientist Vejovis appeared and asked her to hide half of a dagger deeper within the vault so that the "spectator" could get it in their time.
=== Founding of the Venetian Branch===
After returning from his mission in Viana, Ezio instructed the Assassin Bastiano da Mezoo and his companions to head back to Venice and take over an abandend Templar Stronghold to strengthen the Assassin influence in the city for further operations. Unbeknown to the team though, the informant that told them about the base worked secretly for the Templar Order and let them into a trap. Sprining the booby-trap at the entrance, the Templars thought they had killed the Assassins by collapsing the base around them. However, Bastiano had survived with his companions and rebuilded the base right under their nose, and by 1509, they had fully repurposed the old Templar stronghold into a usable headquarters for their branch.
Some time later, their first new mission was given to them straight from Pope Julius II to investigate Leonardo Loredan, suspected of disloyalty. They stole the keys and cipher from his residence and infiltrated the Palazzo Ducale di Venezia at dusk, splitting into teams. They learned the Doge was blackmailed by Templars holding his daughter hostage, compelling him to oppose the Pope and the Assassins. After a pursuit involving decoys, the Assassins tracked down and killed the blackmailer, freeing the Doge and his daughter.
===Protecting Leonardo da Vinci===
The Assassins sought to upgrade their base and were advised by their Mentor to find Leonardo da Vinci in Venice. However, da Vinci was in hiding from the City Guard, who wanted to exploit him for war machines. The Assassins rescued his apprentice, Salaì, from capture, and the Doge promised protection for da Vinci, a promise undermined by Templar ally Niccolò di Pitigliano, who controlled the City Guard. The Assassins extracted da Vinci and his defensive tank to their headquarters as Pitigliano’s forces seized his workshop.
After the Templars took control of the Venetian Navy, the Assassins discovered an experimental naval cannon. Using da Vinci's tank, they neutralized the threat and retrieved the cannon for upgrades. When negotiations with Pitigliano failed due to his high demands, Ezio suggested enlisting Niccolò Machiavelli as a mediator. They devised a successful plan to steal Pitigliano's funds, leading to a meeting that strengthened their headquarters with Machiavelli's wheeled pistol.
===Retrieving The Venetian Staff===
After several heated encounters with the Assassins, The Templar Niccolò di Pitigliano, had agreed with an audience with the Venetian Assassins with promise to put a stop to his actions of brutes against them and the Headquerters. During the meeting, the group overheard Nicocoló talking with a Templar messanger about locating an artefact of great value. Informed by the Assassin Mentor Ezio Auditore that this could be an Piece of Eden, they set out to investigate the matter. the team set about intercepting the messenger. Alessandra d'Avanzago gave chase and the messenger was assassinated. Confirming Ezio's suspicions, the artifact was a Staff of Eden, the group had one clue, a doctor in the San Polo District.
The doctor was last seen near the Ponte delle Guglie. He had been warned and was waiting for them. The Assassins poisoned him and threatened to withhold the antidote unless he provided information about the Staff. He revealed that the Staff was possibly hidden near the Lion of Venice statue in Piazza di San Marco. Eventually, the Assassins convinced the doctor to join them at their headquarters.
Maintaining discretion, the Assassins carefully surveyed the plaza, looking for the Staff. Alessandra explored an inconspicuous underground entrance while her teammates inspected a concealed door and a votive alcove by the canal. Despite their efforts, they found nothing initially. Undeterred, they ascended to a high viewpoint and quickly spotted the Staff. Aware of the Templars’ relentless pursuit to reclaim the artifact, the Assassins exercised caution as they transported the Staff back to their secure headquarters, preparing for the inevitable confrontation with the Templars.
===Protecting the Staff of Eden===
As expected, the Templars launched an attack from Rome, sending an elite unit of mounted guards. The Venetian Assassins successfully defended their headquarters and repelled the invaders. After discovering an unguarded entry point through an abandoned palace, Bastiano made it his mission to block the Templars' access. The Assassins then trapped the remaining soldiers in the shipyard of the Venice arsenal, eliminating them and sending a warning to others.
With their stronghold compromised, the Assassins suspected a traitor or a strong Templar informant. They discovered that the informant was a member of the Crows, a group of Assassin hunters thought to be gone. This Crow had disguised himself as Pestilence, a figure from biblical writings, prompting the Assassins to search for accomplices.
Cornered by Templars intent on stealing the Staff, the Assassins met with Ezio in an abandoned palace to entrust him with the Piece of Eden. After a prolonged fight, they successfully handed the Staff to Ezio, who brought it Rome and secured it beneath the Colosseum Vault. With their headquarters safe, the Assassins were informed by their Mentor about his upcoming trip to Constantinople.allowing them to enjoy a newfound peace in their city.
===Retrieving the Lost Spear of Leonidas ===
At some point, the Assassin Brotherhood recognized Alessandra's exceptional combat skills and assigned her a solo mission to recover the broken Spear of Leonidas, once owned by her idol, the Greece Mercenary Kassandra. The Spear was at risk of being captured by the Templars, who could exploit its secrets. After tracking the Templar, Alessandra successfully retrieved the Spear and killed him with it. The Assassins then decided to hide the Spear in a secure location, safeguarding its power and secrets from the Templars.
===Venice under Agostino ===
Under Agostino, Venice initiated a second war with the Ottomans. A disastrous campaign for the Venetians, the Republic suffered a massive defeat at the that led to the destruction of the Venetian navy. The Ottomans, taking advantage of this defeat, seized the Venetian territories of Lepanto, Modone and Corone.Assassin's Creed II – Database: Agostino Barbarigo
In 1500, Venetian navy become one of the most powerful forces in the world.Assassin's Creed: A Walk Through History (1189-1868) – Chapter 2: The Italian Renaissance – Venice
Between 1502 and 1503, Francesco Vecellio and his team of Assassins traveled to Venice to poison the corrupt and Borgia-influenced Agostino Barbarigo. Before they left, he made sure that Agostino's successor,Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy – Rome: Chapter 3 - Francesco Vecellio Leonardo Loredan, was on the Assassins' side.Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice
===Venice under Loredan ===
In the early reign of Leonardo Loredan, he scouted a young actor named Bastiano da Mezzo during one of his performances. Impressed with his skill, Leonardo introduced Bastiano to the Italian Assassins, encouraging him to join the Brotherhood.
In 1509, Venetian army was defeated by the French Army at the Battle of Agnadello. The Venetian Captain Bartolomeo d'Alviano was being captured, and shackle.Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy – Italian Wars: Chapter 1 – Bartolomeo d'Alviano The battle marked the end of Venetian expansion in Italy and elsewhere.
Years later, in 1512, Ezio Auditore and Sofia Sartor traveled to Venice, where they subsequently married, before heading on to Tuscany.Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
In 1524, the young Chinese Assassin Shao Jun and her mentor Zhu Jiuyan had escaped China in search of the legendary Assassin, Ezio Auditore. Hidden on a Portuguese ship carrying porcelain and silk, they reached Venice unaware that Templar agents were trailing them. When ambushed by elite soldiers with muskets, Zhu Jiuyan sacrificed himself, allowing Shao Jun to escape and eventually meet Ezio in Toscane, where she received training and advice before leaving again for China.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China – Scroll 14
==Modern times==
===Abstergo Training Program===
In 2012, Venice was used as a simulated location by Abstergo Industries during the first and second stage of their Animi Training Program.Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – Multiplayer
The simulation centered around the Piazza di San Marco, as well as the nearby docks. Presumably because of high tide, most of the dock area, which largely contained market stalls, was filled with water.
A tall, vaguely L-shaped building separated the two areas, with merchandise lifts set up at various points to allow quick access to its roofs. The plaza itself was mostly filled with stalls of varying sizes, at least one of which featured firebreathers, joined by the occasional haystack.
Venice, like most of the simulated locations in the first and second stage, had two aesthetic variations. As such, it could be utilized during the day or the night.
===Tokyo Extraction===
by 2020, Dr. Kazui, a descendant of Bastion da Mezzo, was kidnapped and held at the Tokyo Abstergo facility to explore his genetic memories. This was part of an effort to locate the Venetian Staff of Eden for developing advanced technologies and creating super soldiers. Before his capture, he secretly left an encrypted memo in an Animus for the Assassins. Once they arrived, they rescued Dr. Kazui and destroyed all DNA samples and files related to the Venetian Staff.
===Vejovis Attempted Resurection===
In November 2022, the museum guard Joey came into contact with Vejovis dagger and subsequently was thrown into the shadowy Assassin-Templar War. Working with the Assassins they explored his genetic memories in order to find the last half of Vejovis Dagger. Their search let them to discover they were infact a Sage and that his Italian Assassin ancestor Guila hid the last remaining half of the dagger in Venice beneath the Basilica di San Marco.
Joey and the Assassins traveled there, only for Colm to betray the group and reveal himself as a Templar double agent. Fortunately, he was killed by Alera, whereupon Joey combined the two dagger pieces to complete the artifact.
At that moment, a hologram of Vejovis appeared and congratulated Joey for finding his dagger before explaining that this was part of his plan to become corporeal again. Alera tried to attack the Isu but he made Joey swipe at her, revealing that Joey was one of his reincarnations and that by reliving the memories of his other Sages and completing his dagger, Vejovis' consciousness would soon bleed into Joey's. To stop this process from happening, Joey separated the blades, shattering one half of the dagger, and destroying the part of the pedestal that the hologram was coming from.Assassin's Creed: Escape Room Puzzle Book
After Vejovis' hologram glitched out of existence, Joey and Alera decided to leave before the Templars got there, with Joey taking the intact half of the dagger. Joey then asked if they had managed to kill Vejovis, and Alera remarked that she was uncertain. At that moment, Joey's phone received a message from their boss at the museum informing them of their firing. Alera offered Joey a place among the Assassins and the latter accepted, becoming an official member of the Brotherhood. 
==Carnevale==
Venice hosted the famed Carnevale celebrations annually in the southern section of the city. Traditionally, the citizens of Venice would don masks, allowing them to indulge in a variety of entertainments wilder than would normally be socially acceptable. Typically, Carnevale was celebrated with fireworks, carnival performers, and a series of games, with the winner of these games being awarded a golden mask that granted entrance to the Doge's personal ball.
==Landmarks==
* Cannaregio District
**San Giobbe
**Madonna dell'Orto
*San Polo District
**Palazzo della Seta
**Gilda del Ladri di Venezi
**Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
**Bottega di Leonardo a Venezia
**San Giacomo di Rialto
** Ponte di Rialto
*San Marco District
**Santo Stefano 
**Torre dell'Orologio
**Campanile di San Marco
** Palazzo Ducale di Venezia
**Basilica di San Marco
*Castello District
**Scuola Grande di San Marco
**San Giovanni e Paolo
** Arsenale di Venezia
**San Zaccaria
**San Pietro di Castello
*Dorsoduro District
**Santa Maria dei Carmini
**Squero di San Trovaso
**Santa Maria della Visitazione
==Trivia==
*Even after the memories of Carnevale, the citizens continued to celebrate it, albeit without fireworks, in the district of Dorsoduro; this is because, until XVIII Century, Carnival in Venice was celebrated for a long period, starting in October and ending a week after Easter.
*The guards in Venice were far more skilled than those in Florence, and were also better equipped.
*Venice was the only area where horses were unable to be used in Assassin's Creed II. Instead, the area could be traversed by gondola.
*In Brotherhood, the memory Persona Non Grata is the only memory where Venice is featured in the game. Here, much of what it is in Assassin's Creed II is preserved including people and the city's guards.
*On the border of the San Polo and San Marco districts, there were two painters who were looking out across the river, yet were both painting a portrait of a person.
* There is a small island with a ferry that is not accessible in the north part of Venice. The Giudecca to the south is also visible and even has what appears to be a viewpoint tower on it, but is not accessible.
*In real life, Venice has six districts, but in the game Santa Croce (the missing one) and San Polo are treated as one whole district.
==Gallery==
Grandcanal conceptart.png|Concept of the Grand Canal during Carnevale
ACL - Piazza di San Marco concept.jpg|Concept of the Torre dell'Orologio in the Piazza di San Marco
Assassins-creed-ii-20090923115324881 640w.jpg|Concept of the Arsenale di Venezia
Saint marks basilica.png|The Basilica di San Marco
AC2 Grand Canal.jpg|Ezio on the Rialto Bridge overlooking the Grand Canal
Venice Waterways.jpg|Venetian waterways at night
Alliance.jpg|A skirmish in Venice, featuring Noblemen and Smugglers
Venice-Animi-Training-Program.jpg|A map of Venice in the Animi Training Program
Overview of Venice..png|Overview of Venice.
==Appearances== 
*Assassin's Creed: Lineage 
*Assassin's Creed II
*Assassin's Creed II: Discovery
*Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy
*Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
*Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
*Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice
*Assassin's Creed: Escape Room Puzzle Book 
*Assassin's Creed: Mirage 
*Echoes of History 
*Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR
==References==
de:Venedig
es:Venecia
pt-br:Veneza
ru:Венеция
uk:Венеція
fr:Venise
Category:Port cities
Category:Cities in Italy
 
Category:Animi virtual locations
Category:Primary stage locations
Category:Secondary stage locations