PETITES HISTOIRES DE QUARTIER : CARMES

Running on from Rue Saint-Rome, Rue des Filatiers is the backbone of a neighbourhood that has been dedicated to trade since ancient times. Yet there is something extra special here… here is a ‘retrospective’ tour: throughout the ages, the neighbourhood has stood at the crossroads of the city’s institutional influences. From the ancient forum, where it lay directly on the axis of the main gate of the Roman city, it became a battleground between merchants and magistrates during the Renaissance. Then, after serving as a testing ground for urban experiments in the 19th century, it evolved into a working-class neighbourhood in the early 20th century.

Ultimately, this neighbourhood now boasts the city’s most recognisable landmarks, notably Place de la Trinité and its mermaids…

So, after exploring the area, you can form your own opinion on the soul of this neighbourhood: which element takes the upper hand? The merchants with their sophisticated half-timbered façades, or the parliamentarians with their mansions? Or might it not, these days, be the restaurants and cafés with their reputation for a friendly atmosphere, interspersed with small vintage shops and shoppers at the covered market?