The area is a maze of little squares, alleys and low buildings which become progressively narrower and shorter as they weave south toward the Parc Montsouris giving Alésia an air of isolation from the living ruins of Maine-Losserand, the hustle and tourism of Montparnasse and the knotted traffic of the Porte d’Orléans.

At the center of the quartier is the Church of St. Pierre de Montrouge (Saint Peter of Montrouge) with its magnificent 32-voice Barker organ built in 1869. Partially destroyed during the Commune of 1871 when the belfry was used by the communards as an observation tower, it was not restored until 1891. The magnificent church is located at the crossroads of the Ave. du General Le Clerc, the Ave.du Maine and the Rue D'Alesia, and is worth a look, especially at the almost Byzantine architecture of the nave.

On the north side of the quartier, on the Rue Mouton Duvernet, is the Square Ferdinand Brunot, one of five gardens in Alésia along with Aspirand Dunand, Olivier Noyer, Chanoine Viollet et Didot-Thermopyles. Each of these displays examples of gardening evolution over the past 140 years from Haussmann to the 30’s to the present day. All are open to the public, and community gatherings are often held to explain the design and types of plant-life, and the role of public gardens in the city.