Canas

Cannes,kan, in Occitan Canas, is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Communes of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department.

The city is also famous for its various luxury shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Cityscape

La Croisette is the waterfront avenue with palm trees. La Croisette is known for picturesque beaches and for restaurants, cafés and boutiques. La Suquet, the old town, provides a good view of La Croisette. The fortified tower and Chapel of St Anne house the Musée de la Castre. The Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned on the Île Sainte-Marguerite.

Museums

The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence houses artifacts from prehistoric to present, in an 18th century mansion. The Musée de la Castre has objects from the Pacific Atolls, Peruvian relics and Mayan pottery. Other venues include the Musée de la Marine, Musée de la Mer, Musée de la Photographie and Musée International de la Parfumerie.

The villas of Cannes

Nineteenth-century Cannes can still be seen in its grand villas, built to reflect the wealth and standing of their owners and inspired by anything from medieval castles to Roman villas. Lord Brougham’s Italianate Villa Eléonore Louise (one of the first in Cannes) was built between 1835 and 1839. Also known as the Quartier des Anglais, this is the oldest residential area in Cannes. Another landmark is the Villa Fiésole (known today as the Villa Domergue) designed by Jean-Gabriel Domergue in the style of Fiesole, near Florence. The villas are not open to the public. Villa Domergue may be visited on appointment.

Economy

The area around Cannes has developed into a high-tech cluster. The technopolis of Sophia Antipolis lies in the hills beyond Cannes. The Film Festival is a major event for the industry. There is an annual television festival in the last week in September.

Festivals and show events

The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival international du film de Cannes or simply le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is held annually, usually in May.

Midem, the foremost trade show for the music industry

Mipim, the worlds largest property-related trade show

Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival

Carnival on the Riviera is an annual parade through the streets to mark the 21-day period prior to Shrove Tuesday.

The International Festival of Games is festival of bridge, belote, backgammon, chess, draughts, tarot and more (February).

Festival de la Plaisance is an event for boating enthusiasts in the Vieux Port (September).

The International Actors’ Performance Festival: comedy sketches and performances by fringe artists

The International Luxury Travel Market brings together under one roof the top international luxury travel providers and suppliers from all around the world.

Le Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique is a magnificent annual fireworks competition held in the summer at the Bay of Cannes.

Mipcom and MIPTV, held in October and April respectively, the world's most important trade markets for the television industry.

The Pan-African Film Festival, held in early April and featuring films from the African diaspora

History

By the 2nd century BC the Ligurian Oxybii established a settlement here known as Aegitna. Historians are unsure what the name means. The area was a fishing village used as a port of call between the

Lérins Islands.

In 69 AD it became the scene of violent conflict between the troops of Othos and Vitellius.

Cannes: the name

In the 10th century the town was known as Canua. The name may derive from "canna", a reed. Canua was probably the site of a small Ligurian port, and later a Roman outpost on Le Suquet hill, suggested by Roman tombs discovered here. Le Suquet housed an 11th-century tower which overlooked swamps where the city now stands. Most of the ancient activity, especially protection, was on the Lérins islands and the history of Cannes is the history of the islands.