Cannes

By the 2nd century BC the Ligurian Oxybii had a settlement here called Aegitna, and in 154 BC Roman troops under Quintus Opimius fought them nearby. By the 10th century the place was known as Canua, perhaps from canna, a reed: probably a small Ligurian port and later a Roman outpost on the hill of Le Suquet, where an 11th-century tower overlooked the swamps on which the modern city stands. Its history was bound to the Lérins islands offshore, where monks had lived since about 410 and which at their height owned Cannes, Mougins and Vallauris. Saracens devastated the area from 891, a castle was built on Le Suquet in 1035, and around 1530 the town freed itself from the monks' control.

The resort began in the 1830s, when the British statesman Lord Brougham bought land at the Croix des Gardes, then little more than a fishing village on a picturesque coast, and built a villa. Other wealthy winter visitors followed. In the late 1860s casinos, villas, hotels, roads and the railway arrived, cutting the journey from Paris to 23 hours, and the town hall was finished in 1876. After the First World War fewer British and German visitors came but more Americans, and summer tourism replaced the winter season; luxury hotels now line the Croisette.

The international film festival, for which Cannes was chosen in 1939, was founded in 1946. The present Palais des Festivals opened in 1982. Cannes hosted the G20 summit in 2011, and in 2021 UNESCO named it a City of Film.

Film defines Cannes. The festival, considered the most prestigious in the world and one of the Big Three alongside Venice and Berlin, brings stars, directors and thousands of industry professionals each May, and its film market is the biggest of its kind. UNESCO's designation as a City of Film in 2021 recognised that role. The Palais also hosts Cannes Lions for the advertising world, the television markets MIPTV and MIPCOM, the property fair MIPIM and the NRJ Music Awards, so the town is rarely without an international crowd.

Beyond the festivals, Cannes keeps the culture of a 19th-century winter resort: grand villas built for wealthy winter visitors, a Russian Orthodox church, and the long list of writers and statesmen who died here, from Prosper Mérimée to Alexis de Tocqueville. The town's theatres include the Théâtre Debussy, the Espace Miramar and the Alexandre III, and small venues host the annual International Actors' Performance Festival.

Sport is followed closely: AS Cannes launched the professional career of Zinedine Zidane, and the women's volleyball club RC Cannes has won 21 French championships and two CEV Champions League titles. A summer fireworks competition over the bay and the boat show in September are part of the local calendar.

The commune had about 74,000 inhabitants in 2023, a figure that has barely changed in recent years. The neighbouring towns of Le Cannet and Mandelieu-La Napoule are served by the same bus network.

The economy rests on tourism, business fairs, trade and aviation. Cannes has about 6,500 companies, and the town hosts the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, headquarters of the satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space; the Sophia Antipolis technology park lies in the hills behind the town. The festival and trade fairs fill hotels and restaurants for much of the year, and the harbours serve cruise ships and charter yachts.

Life follows the resort calendar. In May the town fills with festival crowds and security barriers; in summer the beaches and the Croisette are busy late into the evening; and in the quieter months residents reclaim the markets and the cafés of Le Suquet and the Rue d'Antibes. Housing on the coast is expensive.

Cannes eats the food of the Riviera and Provence, built on olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and herbs. The specialities of neighbouring Nice belong to the same coastal tradition: socca, a thin chickpea pancake; pissaladière, a bread-dough tart topped with onions, black olives and anchovies; salade niçoise; and pan bagnat, a country-bread sandwich filled with salade niçoise. Provençal cooking adds le grand aïoli, poached salt cod and boiled vegetables served with garlic sauce.

The Marché Forville, at the foot of Le Suquet, is the best place to see the local produce, and Rue Meynadier, which leads to it, is one of the best food streets on the coast, with cheese shops and a market atmosphere. In Le Suquet, the restaurants of Rue Saint-Antoine and Rue du Suquet serve outdoors with views over the town, while seafront restaurants on the Croisette are known more for their setting than their value.

Wine comes from the Côtes de Provence vineyards inland, famous for rosé, and from the monks of Lérins Abbey on Saint-Honorat, who make red and white wines on the island.