La Petite France get its name from a contagious illness

The Petite FranceThe Petite France | ©Alix Ferreira / CC-BY-SA

This famous district, so picturesque, was formerly inhabited by tanners and millers.

Did you know it owns its name from the "French disease" François I's soldiers brought from Italy's wars?

Cute little name for... the syphilis! They cured patients at the Saint-Jean commanderie.