At the Pantheon I think I see my favorite blend group.
In July of 2014 I traveled to the cities and locations of the Ezio games.
This series is a chronicle of that journey.
[Ezio's Family from AC2]
Our journey begins in Rome.
Rome is so big that Brotherhood was the first single-city game in the series.
On our way to visit the Vatican city-state within Rome, we first stopped by the iconic Castel Sant'Angelo.
This papal fortress is home to many events in the series,
all the way back to AC2 when Ezio infiltrates it on his way to kill Rodrigo Borgia in the Sistine Chapel.
Guard: Assassino!
We made our way up through the fortress and eventually arrived at
the courtyard of one Pope Alexander VI, also known as Rodrigo Borgia.
The well in the courtyard even has the Borgia coat of arms on it.
The courtyard could function as a theater, and also served as
an entrance to an important closed-off part of the fortress.
This is the entrance to the historical prisons that Pope Alexander VI, a.k.a. Rodrigo Borgia,
had over here in this courtyard.
Of course, Caterina Sforza was a prisoner here, and I remember
carrying her down the same dark hallways in Brotherhood that we had used to get up here.
Castel Sant'Angelo is also where Cesare kills Rodrigo,
making it one of the most eventful locations in the series.
Overall it was very impressive to see how well the game version measured up to real life.
Making our way into the Vatican City itself, there were two main things I wanted to see.
The first is the Sistine Chapel, which as noted earlier is where Ezio finally confronts Rpdrigo at the end of AC2.
Ezio: It's finished, Rodrigo! Lay down your arms...
and I will make sure the end comes swiftly.
The second is the Fontana della Pigna, or Pinecone Fountain located in the Vatican.
Before it was moved in 1608, it was located in the courtyard of old St. Peter's Basilica,
where Rodrigo used it to hide the Apple of Eden.
Guard: You!
Ezio: Looking for this?
In modern times, it is not quite so accessible.
We also toured the Borgia apartments in the Vatican, which were used by Rodrigo Borgia.
He commissioned some frescoes for decoration, and can even be seen depicted in one of them.
One thing I've always found amusing is how similar Cesare looks to historical depictions,
and how different Rodrigo looks.
In-game he looks far more menacing and less doofy-- I'm guessing to both make a better villain,
and to also better match actor Manuel Tadros, who portrayed him in the games and the Lineage film.
St. Peter's Basilica is also in the area, though much of what is in the game represents old St. Peter's Basilica,
which was replaced by the modern St. Peter's Basilica between 1506 and 1626.
1506 is right at the end of Brotherhood's timeline,
and you can see the partially-constructed iconic dome in the game.
After leaving the Vatican City area we headed east, eventually making our way to Piazza del Popolo.
This is the public square where the Assassins make their stand against Cesare,
and see him subsequently arrested.
Ezio: Insieme per la vittoria! (Together for victory!)
Assassins: Vittoria agli Assassini! (Victory to the Assassins!)
Orsini: By order of Pope Julius II, I arrest you, Cesare Borgia.
We later traveled to the Pantheon, which is a prominent structure in
both the single-player and multiplayer modes.
In multiplayer, the covering of the columns made it a very popular blending spot.
The interior is only accessible in the single-player, where Ezio would climb up the back and
through the oculus opening at the top in pursuit of information about the banker Juan Borgia.
Seeing Ezio climb down at those angles never fails to make my palms sweat.
We also stopped by the massive Colosseum,
which is even larger in life than in the game.
In modern times the hypogeum is exposed, as can be seen while visiting the site as Desmond.
This is the underground area where gladiators and animals were held before the contests began.
In Ezio's time, this area was covered by a wooden floor, and the area would also be used for plays such as
the Passion Play that Ezio infiltrates to try to save Lucrezia's lover and obtain his key to Castel Sant'Angelo.
Just down the road from the Colosseum is Santa Maria in Aracoeli.
This is the church that's built on top of the
Temple of Juno.
This is where the Apple of Eden was hidden until the Assassins recovered it in 2012.
The doors behind me are actually the front doors that Desmond opened to let
Shaun, Rebecca, and Lucy into the church after he infiltrated it through the Colosseum. This is very cool.
What absolutely blows my mind is that there literally IS a temple of Juno beneath this basilica.
The Temple of Juno Moneta was built by the ancient Romans,
and it's where the first Roman coins were minted.
Juno Moneta is the protectress of funds and an epithet of the Roman Goddess Juno.
If we go back to the Colosseum, you may remember that Ezio reached the temple through
an underground Lair of Romulus here, which is feasible given how close the two locations are.
An AC trip to Rome wouldn't be complete without a visit to Tiber Island,
home to the Assassins after the siege of Monteriggioni.
Most of the locations so far felt bigger in reality than in the game,
but what struck me about Tiber Island is just how small it is in real life.
You get the feeling that it really could be home to a small group of Assassins, just making their plans.
For our final stop in Rome, we dropped by Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli.
This church contains the real-life remains of Pope Alexander VI, a.k.a. Rodrigo Borgia.
Unfortunately, despite showing up during the listed visiting hours, the church was not open.
As we walked away, there was only one thought that echoed in my head:
Ezio: Requiescat in pace (Rest in peace), you bastard.
Hey, everyone! Just wanted to say thanks for watching,
and thank you for 20,000 subscribers.
I'm really humbled.
I'm doing weekly Wednesday videos for the next couple months, so... stay tuned! See ya!
