Primo Piazza brings Tuscany to Thailand
By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
Did you know
Legendary Italian artist Michelangelo was born in Caprese in Tuscany.
Inspired by a 500-year-old village in Tuscany, Italy, Primo Piazza brings an impressive old-style Italian atmosphere to Khao Yai in Nakhon Ratchasima. To create the spectacular buildings in an authentic Tuscan style, the architects who designed Primo Piazza visited Tuscany to study the old buildings there.
“The architects used specific materials, paintings and decorations to make Primo Piazza look like a real town in Tuscany,” general manager Pattananun Reungvitayachote said. “After the building was finished, another team came in to make the buildings to look more like historical sites.”
Primo Piazza, which means “the first square” in Italian, has an ancient-looking well in the middle of a large square surrounded by Tuscan-style buildings. Aside from the beautiful architecture, Primo Piazza attracts visitors with various kinds of restaurants, wine bars and café’s for coffee and snacks.
Restaurants
From 9 am to 6 pm, visitors can choose to eat at the Thai Fusion or Western Cuisine restaurants. The dishes at both restaurants are tasty with well presented.
The Thai Fusion Restaurant offers dishes that blend local and Western styles. Yam Salmon Kab Bai Chapoo (pan roasted salmon topped with traditional Thai tamarind chili sauce, mixed parley and betel leaves) is one of their signature dishes.
At Western Cuisine, there are dishes made with imported ingredients such as New Zealand mussels in white sauce and Australian lamp chops.
Snacks and Drinks
If visitors don’t feel like a heavy meal, they can enjoy snacks such as ice cream, crepes or fish and chips. At the café, there is Primo Piazza signature coffee, which has a mix of northern Thai coffee and arabica coffee from France. The café also serves cakes, tarts and pies.
Barn
Barn is a green field full of grass that feeds adorable animals including 20 alpacas, 22 merino sheep and two donkeys imported from Australia. Visitors can take pictures up close with the lovable animals. To ensure the animals’ health, they are only allowed to be fed with grass provided by Primo Piazza. The alpacas, merinos and donkeys can be seen at Barn twice a day, from 10 am till noon and again from 3 pm to 5 pm.
Souvenir Shop
Primo Piazza also offers handmade products as souvenirs for tourists. There are beautiful postcards, T-shirts, bags and mugs available. Alpaca and merino dolls can also be acquired to remind visitors about their time at Primo Piazza.
Location: 200/2 Moo 10 Pakchong, Nakorn Ratchasima
Open daily from 9 am to 10 pm
Admission fee: Before 6 pm, adults 100 baht, children 50 baht.
After 6 pm, services are available for diners only. The restaurants close at 6 pm, so dinners form both Thai Fusion and Western Cuisine are served in the square.
For more information, call 044 009 900 5 or visit www.primopiazza.com and www.facebook.com/PrimoPiazzaPage.
Vocabulary
- spectacular (adj): very impressive
square (n): an open area in a town, usually with four sides and surrounded by buildings
well (n): a deep hole in the ground from which people obtain water
fusion (n): the process or result of combining two or more things together to form something new
signature (n): a particular quality that makes something different from other similar things and makes it easy to recognise
mussel (n): a small shellfish that can be eaten, with a black shell in two parts
alpaca (n): a South American animal similar to a llama, with a long neck and long hair
