The ancient Fraxinet stood on the summit of a perpendicular rock to the north of the village; but there are almost no vestiges left of the fortress, save a square cistern for water. The town, as seen from the descent on the north side, with its background of precipitous rocks and the deep wooded valley in front, presents one of the most striking and remarkable pictures in this singular locality. The drive down to Le Luc is delightful; the pine woods and rocky glens recalling the peculiar scenery characteristic of our Scottish Highlands. After passing St Raphaël, the railway has to cut its way through the rocky promontories which here terminate the Esterel range, and jut boldly out into the Mediterranean. In alternate tunnels and viaducts it sweeps round the Cap Roux, passing, on its way, the lovely bay of Agay, and the wonderfully coloured rock masses of the red porphyritic mountains, which contrast so admirably with the rich green pine woods filling the ravines which furrow the hillsides. These mountains were quarried by the Romans, and furnished them with supplies of red and blue porphyry for the adornment of their buildings. They are [Illustration: FIG. 145. CASTLE OF NAPOULE.] still worked, and yield a considerable quantity of hard materials used for street paving. On rounding the point of the Cap Roux, the wide and beautiful bay of Cannes opens to view, with its long range of white villas, backed by the dark pine-covered hills, beyond which the snowy peaks of the Basses Alpes are visible in the distance. The prominent mass of the Mont du Chevalier marks the centre, while the picture is bounded on the left by the valley of the Siagne, and on the right by the Iles de Lérins, with the Castle of St Honorat rising boldly from the sea on the furthest point. In the hollow of the bay, near the mouth of the Siagne, and commanding a fine view of Cannes, stands the ancient Castle of Napoule (Fig. 145), where some fragments of old work still survive; but a new château occupies the principal portion of the old site. Two of the original square towers are in fair preservation, and, together with the chapel and crenellated walls, form an interesting group (Fig. 146). The style seems to have been partly that of the castellated buildings of Italy, with V-shaped merlons between the embrasures, while the voussoirs of the arches are of the deep form observed at Grimaud and Hyères. [Illustration: FIG. 146. CASTLE OF NAPOULE.] Napoule is supposed to have been a Roman port, having a depôt for grain connected with it. The castle was built by the Counts of Villeneuve in the fourteenth century. It belonged to that branch of the family called Villeneuve Franc, and afterwards to the family of Montgrand.