All vampires knew about The Volturi, the collection of their ancients. The Volturi is and has been based in Italy since its beginning when the first vampire developed.
In 1405, a handsome young man called Marcus was fatally ill from anemia. In that time medicine was very primitive, often the doctors would "bleed" sick people, believing that disease and pain originated from a person's blood. As Marcus was losing his last supply of blood, a survival instinct kicked in, seeking nutrition rich in iron...such as the blood of another being. Marcus bit at the neck of a bat that was living in the hospital ceiling. As the blood burst into his throat, the transformation started at molecular level. The bat was infected with a virus that combined with its DNA, forming a compound that would affect humans in a bizarre way.
The transformation was long and painful, but by the end of it, Marcus arose as an immortal being. His eyes were a deep emerald colour with dark shadows and his skin was smooth and felt as icy as it looked. His tall stature was now accompanied by high muscle tone and his long hair was dark and messy, casting dark shadows over his eyes, but not the two sharp white canines that made small indents on his lips. In short, he emerged as a beautiful monster.
After leaping out of the three story window and landing with cat-like precision, he stalked through the streets of Rome until he had drained three drunken men of all their blood. He felt invincible and powerful, wondering if he could create more of his kind and be a sort of king. It was the first time in two years that he managed to forget about his lost love. Though after the next few decades, the full loneliness of immortality combined with grief and longing would overpower him once again.