Le Rouret is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Alpes-Maritimes

Alpes-Maritimes

Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...

 department in southeastern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Geography

Le Rouret is located 10 km (6.2 mi) from Grasse

Grasse

-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...

, 26 km (16.2 mi) from Cannes

Cannes

Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....

 and the Mediterranean coast, 28 km (17.4 mi) from Nice

Nice

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

 and 45 km (28 mi) from Monaco

Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

. Parts of Le Rouret sit on a south-facing elevation, providing a view to the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

 ranging from Monaco to Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez is a town, 104 km to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. It is also the principal town in the canton of Saint-Tropez....

.

Economy

The commune is largely residential, but a number of shops and a local tourist information office can be found in the centre of the village. The surrounding areas are interspersed with flower farms, used by the perfume distilleries of Grasse

Grasse

-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...

.

Le Rouret is an example of a typical Provençal village undergoing modern development: evidence of its agricultural present and past remains clear despite increased tourism, cultural activities and housing developments.

Protohistory

Two sites in Le Rouret show signs of ancient occupation: Le camp du bois du Rouret and Le Castellaras.

Le camp du bois is situated on a hilltop. Digs carried out by Paul Goby at the end of the 19th century showed signs of habitations from around 400BC, with the most dense period of occupation being around 100BC.

Le Castellaras is very similar but additionally sports a fallen monolith

Monolith

A monolith is a geological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock, or a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument...

, thought to date from the Neolithic

Neolithic

The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

 era or bronze age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...

. However, no other signs of occupations from these periods has been found on this site.

Modern Era

• Early 1900s: 604 inhabitants who work on the land
• 1910: tram line
  Tramway de Nice et du Littoral
  The Tramway de Nice was a tramway system serving the city of Nice, France. The tramway began operations on 27 February 1879 using horse drawn tramcars....
  
   to Le Rouret established
• Mai 1928: tram line stopped, fewer travelers arrive
• 1945: 545 inhabitants after World War II
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
  
• Start of the French Fifth Republic
  French Fifth Republic
  The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
  
  : a road joining Grasse and Nice is build through Le Rouret and population increases.

Population

Personalities

Richard Wright

Richard Wright (musician)

Richard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...

, best known for his career as a keyboardist with Pink Floyd, lived in a villa in the village. The family of Richard Galliano

Richard Galliano

Richard Galliano is a French accordionist.-Biography:He was drawn to music at an early age, starting with the accordion at 4, influenced by his father Lucien, an accordionist originally from Italy, living in Nice.After a long and intense period of study Richard Galliano (born December 12, 1950,...

, a French-Italian accordionist, have lived in Le Rouret for generations. Bono

Bono

Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...

 owns a residence in the commune and Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

 is thought to own a villa in the neighboring commune, Roquefort-les-Pins

Roquefort-les-Pins

Roquefort-Les-Pins is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Population:-External links:* *...

. Peter Churchill

Peter Churchill

Peter Morland Churchill DSO Croix de Guerre was an SOE Officer in France during World War II.He was a brother of Group Captain Walter Churchill DSO DFC and Major Oliver Churchill DSO MC who was also an SOE Officer during World War II.-Biography:...

, famous SOE agent in the Second World War, lived here after the war until his death in 1972.