Tour de la Cruella

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Tour de la Cruella is a former watchtower overlooking the village of Breil-sur-Roya, in the Alpes-Maritimes, set on a rocky ridge that commanded all the approach routes to the town. Built in the 11th–12th centuries by the Counts of Ventimiglia, it is mentioned in 1258 under the name "Turris Cruellam" when Breil was ceded by three descendants of the Counts of Ventimiglia to Charles of Provence (Charles of Anjou), who thus became master of the town. The tower was complemented by two round redoubts that improved surveillance of the paths leading to the village gates, and the site was protected by a second enclosure whose foundations are still visible. It offered a direct view of the Château de Piène to the south and of the ridge of the Château de Malmort to the north. In 1940, Chasseurs Alpins entrenched themselves there to slow the advance of Italian troops. Long split in two, the tower has recently been restored by the association A Cruella, with the help of volunteers from Breil and from Ireland, to recover the appearance it may have had in the 15th century. Its name is said to come from the birds of prey ("cruella") that nested in the surrounding rocks.