There’s a new owner of the old Thai Palace at 838 N. Old World 3rd St., which closed its doors in 2013. And this time, the spot will offer Italian fare.

Gino Fazzari of Calderone Club has purchased the building and has plans to convert the space into an Italian rosticceria. The concept is yet unnamed, but Fazzari says the restaurant will serve a variety of pizza styles – including Neapolitan – along with freshly baked bread, rotisserie based items and a large selection of cured meats and cheeses.

"We’re really working on the concept now," says Fazzari, "and allowing it to develop organically. But what we’d like to do is offer up regional, traditional dishes … things with a bit of a rustic feel that are representative of things we eat in central and southern Italy."

Fazzari, who recently trained in Italy at a variety of pizzerias, says he’ll bring back elements that he learned, offering up a new authentic Italian experience for Milwaukeeans.

"Honestly, I wasn’t really looking to expand or start a new place, but this opportunity presented itself, and we decided to take advantage of it," he said. "To me, this is something that’s just a natural extension of my background growing up, as well as the culinary education I’ve gained over the years. And I’m excited to share that."

Fazzari says he hopes to open the restaurant, which will serve both lunch and dinner, sometime this summer after an extensive renovation of the space.