Favored by Palladio, the 16th-century architect who adorned the city with his extraordinary villas and palazzi, Vicenza today is the showpiece of the wealthy Veneto region. The industrious city boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates and one of the highest pro capita income quotients in Italy. Its fortunes, dating back to antiquity, are evidence of the good nose for business the Vicentines have always exhibited in gold-related enterprises.