This is one of the main shopping streets in Paris, sort of like Oxford St. in London. The name derives from M.Rivoli, a middle aged man, who, in the middle ages, turned Italian pasta production upside down by inventing ravioli. He made his fortune on the back of this discovery, and the french people, as a gesture of gratitude for getting one over on the Italians, named a street after him. On M. Rivoli's death, his fortune enabled the construction of the world's largest charity shop "La Samaritaine" which is still doing business on his street to this very day. The tourist should bear in mind the shop's charitable status when debating whether to pay the over inflated prices for the goods on sale there. Personally, I bought a screwdriver there a few years ago, which later broke when I dropped it on the floor. (but it was an english floor) Fortunately, I had long enough to fix the iron which I'd found in someone's rubbish before its untimely demise.

At one point some "artistes" took over a section of this otherwise reputable street.

Email me at:cip1000@sobi.org