Visitors sing praises to Paris' Belleville district

By Emma Vandore

Published: September 21, 2008

PARIS — Tourists looking for old Paris charm and a taste of "La Vie en Rose” should head to Belleville, a largely overlooked part of the city and the birthplace of Edith Piaf.

Only five Metro stops away from Paris' Town Hall, Belleville has retained much of its working-class identity and still bubbles with concert halls, theaters and bars — some of which Piaf once sang in.

Add to the mix successive waves of immigrants and young creative types out drinking, eating and carousing, and you get a funky atmosphere similar to New York's East Village.

It offers much for the visitor, not least a panoramic view over Paris that rivals Montmartre — but is blissfully free of peddlers and hawkers.

Few tourists stray farther than Pere Lachaise cemetery, burial place for celebrities including Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and singer Piaf herself. Even the success of "La Vie en Rose,” which won actress Marion Cotillard a best actress Academy Award and rekindled interest in Piaf's life, isn't drawing the masses to the neighborhood.

"It's an area that hasn't yet been discovered by tourists,” said Sophie Millot, a culture official from Paris' 20th arrondissement, or district, on the east side of the city where much of Belleville lies. "At the moment, it's Parisians who are starting to explore.”

Since Piaf's time, Belleville has suffered from a bad reputation, cemented by the 1952 film "Casque d'Or” ("Golden Helmet”), inspired by the true story of rival bands of Belleville thugs.

Near the site of a violent fight depicted in the film, Cyril Aouizerate, a philosopher-cum-nightclub owner, has built a 172-room Philippe Starck-designed hotel called Mamashelter, which opened in September. He says the district is no more dangerous than other parts of Paris.

"People who come here like the cosmopolitan feel,” Aouizerate said, puffing on a cigarette.

Be prepared, though, for scruffier streets than the sparkling avenues and boulevards of central Paris.

Once a hilltop village with a "belle vue” or beautiful view of Paris, Belleville was annexed to Paris in 1860. Crooked roads that still wind their way around plots of land set out in the Middle Ages are part of the district's charm.

According to legend, Piaf was born as Edith Giovanna Gassion on the pavement outside 72 rue de Belleville in the depth of winter — attested to by a plaque outside the door.

Overwhelmed by contractions, her mother, cafe singer Annetta Giovanna Maillard, huddled in the doorway while Piaf's acrobat father went to call for an ambulance. On his way, Louis Alphonse Gassion stopped in at various cafes and bars to celebrate, leaving two policemen to help deliver Edith on the sidewalk.

The reality, however, is more banal. Piaf's birth certificate states that she was born at the Hospital Tenon. It is on display at the Edith Piaf museum, two rooms of memorabilia in a Belleville apartment belonging to Bernard Marchois, the author of several Piaf biographies. He first met Piaf five years before her death when, as a young boy, he listened to her singing at her apartment.

The souvenirs include gold and platinum records, photos, letters and even a teddy bear, a gift from husband Theo Sarapo. Also on show is her famous little black dress, handbags, a pair of open-toe shoes and boxing gloves belonging to the love of her life, Marcel Cerdan.

Piaf's memorable voice, which Marlene Dietrich called "the soul of Paris,” still haunts many of Belleville's concert halls.

A sign outside the Nouveau Palais de Belleville, an enormous Chinese restaurant at 46 rue de Belleville, hails the Theatre National de Belleville that once stood in its place. Piaf is no longer on the menu — instead you can enjoy frogs legs with ginger.

Farther down the rue de Belleville, at No. 8, stands Aux Folies. Sip a beer on the terrace and imagine Piaf singing in the discount supermarket next door, where the cabaret Folies-Belleville used to stand.

Descending even farther, to 105 rue du Faubourg du Temple, you find a former Piaf haunt, La Java, still a concert hall that now offers pop rock and electro break drum.

Echoes of Piaf can also be found on rue Rebeval, where her maternal grandmother lived, and rue Orfila, rue des Panoyaux or rue Ramponeau, where it is claimed she lodged on her return to Paris after several years in Normandy with her paternal grandmother, who ran a brothel.

Not far from her grave in the Pere Lachaise cemetery, a statue depicting her early years as a street singer stands in the square that bears her name. Locals and fans frequent the bar Edith Piaf, behind the statue.

A nonprofit group called Ca se visite! offers guided tours of the district in French and English, which include opportunities to meet residents, many of whom are artists attracted by the neighborhood's cheaper rents and chaotic charm.

Comments