Rue Cavallotti, an open-air art gallery

With the Sacré-Coeur, the Place du Tertre and its vineyards, Montmartre is undoubtedly the hot spot of the 18th arrondissement. Yet, many other places are worth a visit and should not be overlooked. One of them in particular is well hidden in a small street behind the busy Place de Clichy: rue Cavallotti, a street named after Felix Carlo Emmanuele Cavallotti, an Italian poet and politician who was born in  1843 and  died in 1898.

You may not understand at first why this street draws attention, especially if you go there during the day, even though the street is your typical Parisian street with its small restaurants and shops. However, the best moment to discover this street is at dusk, when the shops close and the shutters are lowered. The street then turns into a real open-air art gallery as most shutters are decorated with paintings inspired from the 1920s and 1930s. The artworks are brand new and were inaugurated last October. They replace copies of some of the most famous expressionist paintings by the likes of Monet and Cezanne , that have been progressively damaged by graffitis and natural erosion. Requests from nearby inhabitants came in fast to replace what makes the street so peculiar  and an attraction for Parisian pedestrians. After fierce debates, the Roaring Twenties theme was chosen and painters were selected. More than 20 paintings are now on display. They represente famous Parisian music halls such as the Moulin Rouge, the Grand Rex or the Elysee Montmartre.