I have lived in Montorgueil - my favorite neighborhood by far in Paris - for the past 13 years.
I love the fact that Montorgueil is a self-contained pedestrian village right in the heart of Paris. It still retains its original signature cobbled marble streets and hosts some of Paris's oldest architecture. It is so full of character and charm, blending modernity with Parisian tradition and history.
The ambiance is lively and there is a great diversity of dining available in Montorgueil - including some Michelin star restaurants. The restaurant on the corner of our street, The Rocher de Cancale, is listed as Paris's first ever restaurant and is preserved today just as when it was first built.
When I first moved to Paris I stumbled across and fell in love with a rare 19th Century Printing House built by Gustave Eiffel which was hidden away in a private courtyard, in need of much love. Although it was a huge undertaking to transform this 300m2 (3300 square feet) into a modern home, giving life to this space once again was one of the most soul warming projects I have ever undertaken.
I love the combination of old and new, and wanted to underline the history infused in this building and bring this to life through the renovation.
During the works, we discovered a hidden room - a basement enclosed by a 1st Century Roman wall, which we later discovered to be the original perimeter wall of Lutece (the Roman settlement later to become Paris)! The Town Hall conducted an archeological dig and found many historical artefacts dating back to this time. A journalist later told us that her grandfather had worked in this building when it was a printing house during the war and that this space had been used by the Resistance at that time to print their newspapers in secret!
This space was transformed into our gym and relaxation room, with the Roman wall preserved and visible.
Paris is filled with historical monuments and stories, waiting to be discovered.