rue de Lappe

Rue de Lappe curves narrowly through the Bastille neighborhood, lined with low buildings that date back to the seventeenth century. While much of Paris widened its streets for grand boulevards, this alley kept its cramped, medieval scale. It became the epicenter of the musette dance craze in the nineteen twenties. Italian immigrants brought their accordions to the local bals, and the sound of the dance hall became the pulse of the street. Today, the metal shutters remain pulled tight until the neon lights flicker on.