Square Trousseau is a lovely park in the 12th arrondissement near Marché Aligre and a perfect spot for a picnic with your purchases from the marché. There are also bistros and restaurants around the park.
The site dates back to the 1600’s when it became a hospice for 600 foundlings of the more than 1000 children abandoned every year in Paris at that time. Today the area around the square is a family friendly with and the park is well-suited to their needs and well-used by all ages. Its large bandstand is famously popular.
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One Sunday after visiting Marché Aligre, I heard music and stopped by the park. Surprise! La Commune Libre d’Aligre was having a neighborhood fête. There was a wacky band playing Triplets de Belleville and other fun pieces.
The band was composed of all ages and they had flutes, horns, saxophones and even a tuba. They hammed it up playing to the crowd while little children roared with laughter and joined in the clowning. Periodically one of the band members would jump off the stand and hold high a posterboard with lyrics so the audience could sing along.
Booths lined the square: political causes, snacks, neighborhood preservation groups, etc.
There was an area for childrens’ fingerpainting with their work on display, taped to trees.
Others played ping-pong or clambered over climbing structures and slides. Older folks were out in force and tapped their toes to the beat of the music while lunching with family. A good time was had by all. The public spaces in Paris are well used by the citizenry and designed for joie de vivre.
The Commune Libre d’Aligre is one of four communes of Paris. Montmartre is another. There is a strong history of resistance to oppression in this commune, dating back centuries. Today they are a very active community with a film festival (Cinémaligre), community gardens (Aligresse) and proposals for a café/community center. What a joli quartier in which to live!
Cynthia Tuttelman (aka "Tut") is a writer, family doctor and quilter who lives in Northern California and part-time each year in Paris, France. Follow along and explore the wonders of Paris.