Short answers, pulled from the story.
The year 157 BC marked the turning point when the settlement known as Vicetia became a de facto Roman center. Before this date, the area had been home to the Euganei and Paleo-Veneti tribes during the third and second centuries before Christ.
Andrea Palladio transformed what had been arguably the most aesthetically lacking city in Veneto during the sixteenth century by designing twenty-three buildings that now define the cityscape. The Basilica Palladiana stands centrally in Piazza dei Signori where Palladio claimed it might stand comparison with any similar work of antiquity.
Textile and steel industries employ tens of thousands of people across massive industrial areas surrounding the city while about one fifth of Italy's gold and jewelry is manufactured within Vicenza boundaries. Elite sectors include clothing factories like Diesel, Pal Zileri, Marzotto, and Bottega Veneta alongside Campagnolo headquarters for bicycle components and Dainese protective sports wear.
Allied bombings made Vicenza the most damaged city in Veneto during World War II resulting in over two thousand civil victims during these attacks. Massive reconstruction efforts followed to rebuild infrastructure and cultural monuments after the end of World War II brought a period of depression caused by devastation from both world wars.
This reputation supposedly stems from turning to cats for sustenance during famine periods like World War II when the region emphasized hearty meals made with fresh local ingredients instead of fish-based dishes. The inhabitants are jokingly referred to as mangiagatti or cat eaters by other Italians due to this historical survival strategy.