It became somewhat of a joke between us, calling Rue de Rivoli Rue de Ravioli. It always seemed that wherever we were, we were crossing this street. It seemed pretty important, so I decided to look it up.
Like many things in Paris, Napoleon is the root of the cause. Rue de Rivoli was named after Napoleon's victory against the Austrians at *surprise* the battle of Rivoli which was fought in January 1797.
Not only does this street commemorate a historic battle, but it was the start of some change in Paris' phenotype. The new street cut Paris right down the middle. The street was very wide, which was a first for the city. Furthermore, the street split Paris into two parts- 1 being modern housing, and 2 being historical buildings and monuments.
Many more streets were "born" to connect Rue de Rivoli with other main roads, making it a pivotal part of the city, and explains why we always seemed to be on Rue de Rivoli.
Just for a fun fact- Ravioli got its name in Venice during the 14th century.
It is so funny how you call it Ravioli, that's how I remember it too. It's interesting to read the history of the street. I am curious what historic battle is it though?
ReplyDeleteI always found it so funny how we would all mistake Rue de Rivoli for Rue de Ravioli. In doing research on Haussman and the 'Haussmanization' of Paris I came across this name a lot because, as you pointed out, it connects to many other streets and helps to separate Paris into sections. Thanks for looking into the history behind the name, it was fun to finally learn about the important street we always seemed to mispronounce!
ReplyDeleteI always found it so funny how we would all mistake Rue de Rivoli for Rue de Ravioli. In doing research on Haussman and the 'Haussmanization' of Paris I came across this name a lot because, as you pointed out, it connects to many other streets and helps to separate Paris into sections. Thanks for looking into the history behind the name, it was fun to finally learn about the important street we always seemed to mispronounce!
ReplyDelete