Vicenzaoro Highlights, January 2026: Two Thousand Years of Wearable Art

Six rooms divided into eleven thematic sections recount over two millennia of Italian jewelry history. The exhibition, housed within the splendid Palladian Basilica, the very icon of the "City of Gold," was curated by internationally renowned scholar Paola Venturelli and represents an incredible collection of 150 works, including precious objects, paintings, ceramics, and jewelry in gold, coral, semiprecious stones, micromosaics, and innovative materials spanning the 5th century BC to the 2000s, testifying to the fusion of art, technique, and creativity through the centuries. Two special sections explore Vicenza's goldsmith tradition and its dialogue with contemporary art, from Futurism to the Padua School, highlighting the region's contribution to art, including the architecture of Andrea Palladio, Giotto's frescoes, and Titian's paintings, to name a few. The exhibition, the result of collaborations with Italian museums and foundations, celebrates jewelry as both memory and narrative, combining craftsmanship and innovation. A mission that also emerges from the words of Michela Amenduni, Managing Director of the museum site: «The Jewelry Museum was created with the aim of enhancing the excellence of the Vicenza goldsmithing district and, through this, one of the highest expressions of Made in Italy, blending memory and modernity. Through the works and techniques featured in the new exhibition, we are able to showcase the cultural and symbolic richness of precious materials. We want it to be a museum accessible to everyone, open to dialogue with the local area as well as with designers, artisans, companies, scholars, and enthusiasts of all ages, capable of engaging visitors through a rich program of workshops, school activities, and themed events.»