I have the great fortune to live a few blocks from rue Mouffetard, one of the oldest streets in Paris. As a matter of fact, it is the original Roman road that ran from Paris to Rome via Lyon, with plaques on buildings dating from the late 1500s! It runs from Hemingway’s early stomping grounds, Place de la Contrescarpe just behind the Panthéon, down to St Médard Square, next to St Médard church and the start of avenue des Gobelins.
My first week in Paris, I went exploring around my neighborhood with my new friend Kendall. We crossed Place Monge, took a left, a right and another left and we both stopped in our tracks with a gasp. The most charming cobblestone street lay at our feet.
For piétons (pedestrians) only, rue Mouffetard, or la Mouffe, as they call it, is also the oldest market in Paris, predating the current name to times when this City of Lights was still called Lutèce.