Montmartre's Lone Vineyard and Au Lapin Agile

A bit further along from the Musée de Montmartre, you'll come to a vineyard. It is said to be the only vineyard in Paris, and the grapes grown here are even made into wine. When harvest time comes, a grape festival is held.

Past the vineyard stands Au Lapin Agile. This red-walled building at the end of the vineyard bears a painting of a rabbit leaping out of a pot with a drink in hand. "Lapin" means rabbit and "agile" means swift, so the name literally means "the nimble rabbit." The drinking scene may seem odd, but this is a cabaret. It is Montmartre's only cabaret, with a long history, and it remains popular with visitors. You might wonder what a cabaret is like, but although it opens only at night, the atmosphere is wholesome enough that even minors are allowed in. The original interior has been preserved, a singer performs old chansons, and people dance or sing along, so it feels as if you've stepped back into old Paris. It's recommended for anyone who wants a taste of nostalgia, wants to hear chanson, or wants to enjoy Paris nightlife in a wholesome setting.

Édith Piaf is said to have sung here, and Picasso and Modigliani are said to have been regulars. It's fun to wonder what drew these artists back so often.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York holds a Picasso painting titled Au Lapin Agile. It features Picasso himself and Germaine Pichot, a woman loved by his close friend Casagemas. After Casagemas broke up with her, he was so devastated that he shot himself in front of a crowd. After his suicide, Picasso is said to have entered his Blue Period, painting everything in blue. Germaine Pichot, who appears in the painting, is also said to have been a model for Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

Maurice Utrillo, who spent most of his career in Montmartre painting scenes around the neighborhood, also painted a work called Au Lapin Agile. It hangs in the Musée d'Orsay and depicts the cabaret's exterior.