La Cité Sarde

Geneva's Greenwich Village, Carouge (from quadruvium) began life in the Roman era as a crossroads next to a bridge over the river Arve. It remained a mere hamlet until 1754, when the Duke of Savoy, by then also King of Sardinia, annexed it with intent to create a rival commercial hub for Geneva. That never happened, courtesy of the French Revolution, but the town grew so fast that the royal planners in Turin drew up five separate development plans between 1772 and 1783; their harmonious architecture, plazas, and courtyard gardens still recall Mediterranean ways unheard of in Geneva. Colorful shop windows, sidewalk cafés, friendly restaurants, hole-in-the-wall galleries, tree-lined fruit-and-vegetable markets (on Wednesday and Saturday), open doors, and working artists infuse Rue St-Joseph, Rue Ancienne, Rue St-Victor, and Place du Marché with vibrant creative energy; don't miss the outdoor street fairs on the last weekend in August and mid-December.