Most of central Paris is Haussmann's — straight, tall, stone. The Butte-aux-Cailles is what was there before and somehow still is: a cobbled hill of low houses, climbing roses, and street art, that feels like a village someone forgot to demolish. Do it in the afternoon, when the bars are still asleep and the light's on the gable ends.
From Corvisart — already up high, since the M6 runs overground here — climb to rue de la Butte-aux-Cailles, the spine of the place. Cobbles, bistros, painted walls; keep your eyes up for the Miss.Tic stencils and the big murals that change with the season. Down the slope is the Piscine de la Butte-aux-Cailles, a 1924 Art Deco pool fed by a warm artesian spring — swim if you've packed for it, look if you haven't. The square beside it has a well-head where people still fill bottles with spring water.
End at the Cité Florale, a knot of flower-named lanes too soft-grounded for tall buildings, all low houses and roses. Then back to the roar of Place d'Italie — the contrast is the point.
