A visit in the covered passages, the shopping Arcade of the past : From the 1st to the 9th arrondissement
The shopping arcade of the past!
They were built in the late 18th and mid-19th century to protect pedestrians from the rain and mud and to provide a wide array of entertainments and activities : theatres, cafés and quaint shops! Gas lighting and glass ceilings were a novelty too!
Nowadays they range from elegant galleries (Vivienne, Vérot- Dodat) to less noteworthy ones (Passage Brady, du Cerf…..). Zola’s character, Nana, a courtesan was the muse of the Passage des Panoramas.
A trip into the past!
By Sylvie