Roquebrune-Cap-Martin: castle, olive tree and famous guests
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is two worlds in one commune: a medieval village perched on a rock between Monaco and Menton and the green headland below that, which in the 20th century attracted empresses, writers and architects. It is home to one of France’s oldest castles, an olive tree roughly two thousand years old grows here, and the same procession has taken place for more than five centuries.
Castle built around 970
The keep above the village was erected around 970 — according to the town hall, it is one of the oldest surviving medieval keeps in France. The founding of Roquebrune is linked to Conrad I, Count of Ventimiglia. The fortress guarded the road from Provence to Italy, and for centuries it was contested by the Ventimiglia counts, the Republic of Genoa and the Grimaldis. From 1355 Roquebrune belonged to the princes of Monaco for about five centuries, who reinforced the castle.
From the upper terrace you can see the whole bay as far as Monaco, and below — the beaches and villas of Cap Martin. The village itself, according to the town hall, has retained an “almost untouched medieval layout”: narrow streets, stone staircases and vaulted passages rising from the square to the castle. The church of Sainte-Marguerite was listed as a historic monument in 2023.
An olive tree about two thousand years old
On the Chemin de Menton, a few minutes from the village, grows the famous long-lived olive tree. The age of the tree is estimated at around two thousand years — the Menton tourist office even gives 2,200. In January 2016 it was granted the status of a “Remarkable Tree of France”. Access is free, year-round.
The olive here is no accident: in the 19th century the commune had six olive oil mills, and the local toponym Ar Gumb in the dialect means “olive trough”.
The procession since 1467
Every 5 August the inhabitants of Roquebrune walk in procession from the Chapel of the Penitents to the Pausa Chapel. The tradition is over five and a half centuries old: according to legend, in 1467 the prayers of the people of Roquebrune halted the plague, and the town vowed to remember this forever. In 2025 the procession took place for the 557th time.
Famous visitors to Cap Martin
At the end of the 19th century the headland became a fashionable resort. From 1894 to 1897 the Austrian Empress Elisabeth — the famous “Sisi” — stayed at the Hôtel du Cap Martin. Also here was the villa of Napoleon III’s widow, Empress Eugénie.
In the 1920s and 1930s those who defined the style of the era built on the headland. Coco Chanel built the villa La Pausa here, Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici the modernist villa E-1027. Nearby Le Corbusier built his tiny cabanon and on 27 August 1965 he drowned in the sea off the headland. We devoted a separate piece to this story — «Le Corbusier’s cabanon and the villa E1027». On 3 March 1956 Winston Churchill became an honorary citizen of Roquebrune.
For more on the same era on the Riviera, but with different protagonists, see the article on Zelda Fitzgerald.
How to visit
- The village and the castle — on foot from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin station or by car to the car parks at the entrance to the old town. It’s best to check the castle opening hours with the tourist office: +33 4 93 35 62 87.
- The olive tree — on the Chemin de Menton, free entry.
- The path around the headland — a seaside promenade where it’s convenient to walk to the cabanon and the villa E-1027 (they are shown only with a guide, by appointment, from April to November).
- Heritage Days — in September in Roquebrune the castle, the church of Sainte-Marguerite and the Maginot Line fort on Cap Martin are usually open.
Sources: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin town hall, Menton, Riviera & Merveilles tourist office, 5 August procession.
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Photo: Miniwark / Wikimedia Commons