En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château de Piène-Haute stands on a narrow rocky spur at an altitude of about 600 metres, overlooking the hamlet of Piène-Haute in the commune of Breil-sur-Roya (Alpes-Maritimes), and rises some 200 metres above the Roya gorges. Mentioned before 1380, it bears witness to the feudal occupation of Piène by the Counts of Ventimiglia, who made it a stronghold intended to control the trade route linking Piedmont to the Mediterranean. According to local tradition, an earlier fortified settlement may have preceded this fortress as early as the Early Middle Ages. Long abandoned, the castle was already in ruins when the hamlet was rebuilt in the 19th century. The remains, of Genoese construction in dressed stone, preserve two enclosure walls, a south-west-facing staggered (chicane) gateway, vaulted rooms and a basin fed by a small cistern. Although severely deteriorated, the ensemble retains a coherent silhouette on its rocky site. As private property, the site is not open to visitors but remains visible from the footpath that can be reached on foot from the hamlet's car park.
