Palazzo Sesso Zen is a palace of the thirteenth century, built in the Venetian Gothic style.
Initially owned by the family Lanzade, the building had a tower of which signs are still evident. It was brought as a dowry by Chiara di Lanzè, who wed Palmiero Sesso, podestà (mayor) of Vicenza in 1341.

Located in a very suggestive position, the building bears traces of past buildings dating back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The door does not date back to before 1460, while there are clear structural differences between the second floor and the other two. In fact, the walls of the second floor were constructed of local stone, while the for the other two was used the "hot" red Verona marble. On the second floor, the moldings of the capitals remark shortage of construction. It is likely that the latter had never been built for residential purposes and was not first built in the seventeenth century.


In the late fifteenth century, in order to give greater prestige to the building, the second floor was elevated to be aligned with the two adjacent buildings: on the left Negri de Salvi palace, on the right the Amaldi Piovene palace. The model that inspired the Sesso Zen palace, for the raising, was very similar to that of the Ca' d'Oro. It is likely that in the past the facade was painted with a frescoed coat, traces of which are visible in the upper range. The Sesso family intended to achieve the same artistic level of Venetian palaces, but unlucky did not get the desired result. The building still retains its ancient staircase (recently restored), supported by arches and placed in the court.

Like others in Vicenza, this building is stylistically different from the palaces of Venice (capital at that time) and of the lagoon area: the very accentuated projection and robustness of the eaves is typical from Vicenza. Moreover, the porch is entirely shifted to the left and parallel to the facade at the upper hall: a different technique from the one used in the lagoon and Venice, where the architecture was developed mainly along the longitudinal axis.

Between 2006 and 2007, the building has been the subject of considerable restoration.