Rue Pergolèse

Can a street whisper secrets of artistic brilliance? Here on Rue Pergolèse, it certainly seems so. Rue Pergolèse, a quiet street in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, is more than just a collection of buildings. It’s a melody of history, echoing with the lives of composers, writers, and even revolutionaries. Rue Pergolèse begins at 61 ter, Place du Général Patton and ends at 66, Avenue Foch. It was named after the Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, whose music graced the 18th century. But the street’s history goes back further. It started as a humble path alongside the old Muette pheasant farm. This path separated Passy and Neuilly. Initially, it was called Rue Périer, after landowner Casimir Périer. In 1825, this path began its transformation into the Rue Pergolèse we know today. The land of the former pheasant farm was later divided and sold. Investors snapped up the plots, leading to a construction boom in the latter half of the 19th century. The street blossomed with houses, eventually giving way to the apartment buildings that now line Rue Pergolèse. Number 9 was once home to composer Camille Erlanger. He lived there until his death in 1919. Just next door, at number 10, American literary icons Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald resided between 1929 and 1931. Spanish composer José Padilla also called this address home. Further down, at number 55, a plaque commemorates filmmaker Raymond Bernard, who lived there from 1947 to 1977. Rue Pergolèse even has a brush with revolutionary history. At number 62, in 1980, Jean-Marc Rouillan, a founder of the French leftist group Action Directe, was arrested. He was on his way to meet the notorious Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, better known as “Carlos the Jackal.” The arrest was dramatic, with Rouillan’s partner, Nathalie Ménigon, escaping briefly before being apprehended on the street. As you stroll along Rue Pergolèse, imagine the echoes of Fitzgerald’s typewriter, the strains of Pergolesi’s music, and the tension of Rouillan’s arrest. Rue Pergolèse is more than just a street. It is a living testament to the diverse lives that have shaped its history, a place where the whispers of the past continue to resonate in the present.