Cannes

Sister cities

• Florence

History

By the 2nd century BC, the Ligurian Oxybii established a settlement here known as Aegitna (). Historians are unsure what the name means, but the connection to Greek αἴγες "waves, surf" seems evident. The second element could be compared to the Cretan and Thessalian towns of Itanos () and Iton (); also phonetically close is the Aetolian town of Aegitium (). The area was a fishing village used as a port of call between the Lérins Islands. In 154 BC, it became the scene of violent but short-lived conflict between the troops of Quintus Opimius and the Oxybii. 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 the swamps where the city now stands. Most of the ancient activity, especially protection, was on the Lérins Islands, and the history of Cannes is closely tied to the history of the islands. An attack in 891 by the Saracens, who remained until the end of the 10th century, devastated the country around Canua. The insecurity of the Lérins islands forced the monks to settle on the mainland, at the Suquet. Construction of a castle in 1035 fortified the city then known as Cannes, and at the end of the 11th century construction was started on two towers on the Lérins islands. One took a century to build. Around 1530, Cannes detached from the monks who had controlled the city for hundreds of years and became independent. During the 18th century, both the Spanish and British tried to gain control of the Lérins Islands but were chased away by the French. The islands were later controlled by many, such as Jean-Honoré Alziary and the…